


Wheat fields, Bluebonnets, and Hedges

by Gates_of_Ember



Series: PJO Arranged Marriage/Royalty AU [6]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan, The Trials of Apollo - Rick Riordan
Genre: ?????, Alternate Universe - Arranged Marriage, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Alternate Universe - Royalty, First Kiss, Gen, M/M, Meeting the Family, Meeting the Parents, Praise the Lord there's no Octavian, What else is new?, nico is a little shit, rated T because...it’s the Apollo fam I mean come on, they don’t know how to behave in a manner consistent with a G rating
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-09
Updated: 2018-04-24
Packaged: 2019-04-20 15:32:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 20,243
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14264112
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gates_of_Ember/pseuds/Gates_of_Ember
Summary: Now that he’s fully aware of his feelings for Will, Prince Nico spends his visit to Diana trying to lure his fiancé into kissing him, only to be continuously thwarted by either his guard or his fiancé’s obliviousness.  Will, however, is more concerned with other matters—namely, his family’s ceaseless endeavor to embarrass him in front of the Prince.





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! I’m very sorry for the long wait. Since we’re getting closer to the wedding, there are going to be a lot of changes and I’ve been spending more time preparing for later events in the au. That and I’ve been occupied with school...also your average existentialist life issues, a chronic sense of ennui, and concerns regarding the general cataclysm that is the United States. You know, normal stuff.
> 
> So I just wanted to say that I love getting comments (like, I need them to breathe) but I’d really appreciate it if you could refrain from asking for updates or commenting on update speed. I understand that it’s not fun to wait, but that honestly just demotivates me. I’ll make a post on my tumblr if it’s taking me a long time to update, so please be patient and let me go my own pace. But all that being said, I love to talk about my progress so if you’d like to send me an ask about something in the story/universe, that would be great! Talking about what I’m doing totally helps me get into the writing zone and hearing that you enjoy what I write always makes me excited to keep going!
> 
> Moving along, [here’s a link to the arranged marriage au tag](http://gatesofember.tumblr.com/tagged/arranged-marriage-au) on my tumblr, where you can find little updates and extras, including the arranged marriage au guide (which has ~~finally~~ been cleaned up and includes new sections on marriage and gender!)

Prior to Nico’s arrival, Will had spent the better part of the day pacing and planning out what he would say when his fiancé arrived.  His siblings tried to draw him out to spend time with them, but Will was far too anxious to even sit down for more than a second.

At least Octavian wasn’t there.  His eighteenth birthday had already passed and he’d been given a home of his own and they had all been very careful to keep Nico’s impending visit secret when they ushered Octavian off.  He was unlikely to appear during the few days that Nico was staying, but Will feared the worst.  Octavian had a tendency to show up unexpectedly at the Sun Palace.  Fortunately, Will’s siblings had sworn that they would do everything they could to keep Octavian away from the Prince in the event that he decided to show up.

It appeared that Octavian had only gotten worse over the past year.  He visited without being invited, and when he did, he brought with him taunts about how wonderfully superior his new home was.  At dinner, he told outlandish and obviously fabricated tales about his many escapades with handsome young men in his employ, claiming to have an entire harem eager to please him.  Lee and Lou Ellen always laughed behind their hands and Michael rammed his head against the table, while Daphne nodded and pretended to be interested, asking questions to goad him along and getting more and more ridiculous stories every time.  Austin covered his own ears and Will covered Kayla’s, but Apollo seemed too busy gazing across the table at Hyacinthus to take notice of Octavian at all.

When Octavian was away, Sun Palace was almost peaceful without him.   _Almost_ because Will’s family never seemed to run out of energy and drama.  Octavian was gone, yes, but the rest of his family could be almost as embarrassing.  Will could still remember the first time Lou Ellen visited the Sun Palace before she married Lee.  The evening had ended with Lou Ellen’s dress covered in chocolate and hay, and the culprit had never confessed.  Of course, no one doubted that it had been Michael; he hadn’t liked Lou Ellen at first.  Luckily, Lou’s sense of humor kept her from becoming offended, and that had been the beginning of her friendship with Michael.  Somehow, Will doubted Nico would take as kindly to being covered in hay and chocolate.

When Will turned down their invitation to spend time with them for the third time that day, Lee, Lou Ellen, and Michael decided to come to him instead.

“You can’t just pace around by yourself all day,” Lee said, flopping onto a couch that was positioned directly in the sunlight.  The massive windows were what made the library one of Will’s favorite rooms in the palace.

“I didn’t mean to make you worry,” Will apologized as Lou Ellen joined Lee on the couch, comfortably laying her legs across Lee’s lap and putting her arm around his shoulders.  Will blushed; even though they’d been married for more than a few years, he still hadn’t grown accustomed to how physically affectionate his brother and sister-in-law tended to be.

“Make _us_ worry?” Michael said.   _“You_ are the one that’s worried.  Why are you so panicked, anyway?  Octavian isn’t even here.”

“Well....”  Will cast a glance at Lee and Lou Ellen.  Lee was grinning contentedly while Lou Ellen giggled and played with his hair.

“Fair point,” Michael agreed.

“Are you certain that you don’t want to come along with us to the wedding, Michael?” Will asked for the hundredth time.  “You have that Neptunian suitor that we’ve been in negotiations with—”

“No,” Michael said with finality.  “Firstly, I would only be in the way.  Secondly, I am very happy here, thank you, I do _not_ want to go to Neptune.”

Lee sighed.  “Michael, if you end up marrying this woman, you’ll have to go to move there eventually—”

“I do not want to marry her,” Michael said.

“You haven’t even _tried_ to get along with her,” Lou Ellen said.  “You could at least write to her.”

“I’d rather not,” Michael snapped, crossing his arms irritably.

“Michael, you’ll never find a spouse if you don’t at least attempt to be friendly—” Lee started.

“If finding a spouse means I have to leave Diana, then I’d rather not get married at all,” Michael insisted.

“But Michael, there are so many other wonderful places in the world,” Will tried to say.  “Diana is beautiful, but I’m sure that Neptune is just as amazing and—”

“Will, it’s bad enough that you’re leaving,” Michael snapped.  “I can’t live without everyone else, too.”

Will closed his mouth slowly, his words failing him.

“Oh, Mikey,” Lee said, grabbing Michael and yanking him into an embrace so forcefully that Michael tumbled on top of him and Lou Ellen.

“Don’t call me that,” Michael huffed, pushing off Lou Ellen when she kissed his temple.  His grin, however, was very poorly concealed, and Lee didn’t let go.

“I...I’m sorry, Michael,” Will said, looking at his shoes.  “I didn’t realize that it bothered you that I’m leaving.”

“Don’t be stupid,” Michael said, wrestling his way out of Lee and Lou Ellen’s arms.  “I’m happy for you. After all, you get to fu—”

“Michael!”

“—the boy you’ve admired since you were only six.”

Lee, Lou Ellen, and Michael laughed when Will turned red and started to stutter about how he wasn’t thinking about that sort of thing and that he only had the purest of intentions when it came to his fiancé.

“I’m sure, Will,” Michael said, clapping a hand on Will’s shoulder.

“But I—”

“Anyway, we aren’t _nearly_ as embarrassing as Octavian,” Lee said.  “Let’s be glad that he isn’t here.  He’d probably try to recruit your fiancé to be in his supposed ‘harem.’”

“How much do you think he has to pay the members of his ‘harem’?” Lou Ellen mused.

“My darling, there are not enough riches on Gaea’s good earth to buy a harem for Octavian,” Lee answered.  

Michael snorted.  “I doubt you’d have to worry about the Prince accepting the offer.  Have faith, Will.  I’m sure he’ll be perfectly satisfied with your performance.”

Will flushed again.  “I...I don’t...that’s not...we haven’t even....”

“Haven’t even what?” Lee asked with a quirk of his eyebrow.

Will wished he could bury himself to hide his embarrassment.  “Nothing.  It’s nothing.”

Lou Ellen frowned.  “Will...haven’t you kissed him yet?”

Will fixed his eyes on his shoes and didn’t answer.

 _“What?”_ Michael demanded.  “You have been engaged to your first love for over a year and you _haven’t even kissed him?”_

“Well—”

“My Gods, Will, Lou and I kissed within a week!” Lee said.

“We’d already seen each other in our undergarments by this time!” Lou Ellen added.

“I really could have lived without knowing that,” Will mumbled in embarrassment.

“Don’t you _want_ to kiss him?” Michael interrupted.

“Well, I...I certainly would like it,” Will admitted.  “But I don’t need to.  I’d be happy to go whatever pace he sees fit.”

“And how do you know that this is the ‘pace he sees fit’?” Lou Ellen asked.

“He’s never indicated that he’d be interested in...um...doing that sort of thing,” Will answered.  There had been the time that Nico had kissed his forehead—thinking of it still made Will’s face burn and his knees feel wobbly—but that had only been an affectionate gesture of farewell.  “Of course, I don’t mind at all,” Will went on, trying not to dwell on the memory of Nico’s lips on his forehead.  “And I’d never initiate...that sort of thing.  He’s a _prince_.  I can’t...I shouldn’t...it wouldn’t be appropriate to....”  Will swallowed and tugged at the ends of his sleeves nervously.  “Even if he _is_ my fiancé, he’s still a prince.  That sort of thing has to be on his terms.”

“Are you incapable of saying the word ‘kiss’?” Michael asked teasingly.

Will frowned and opened his mouth to prove that he was perfectly capable of doing so, but his throat wouldn’t let him speak.

“How have you grown up in _our family_ and remained this innocent?” Lee asked in astonishment.

“I’m telling you, he spends too much time with those sorors,” Michael said.  “Baubles of Ouranos, Will, we’re talking about a _kiss._ We’re not asking you to fondle his—”

“Michael!” Will said, flushing even harder than before.  “Could we stop discussing this now?”

“You’d better get on with it soon, Will,” Michael continued as if Will hadn’t said anything.  “What if you still haven’t kissed a year from now?  What if you go into your wedding night and the most you’ve ever done is held his hand?”

“I’m not particularly concerned with that at the moment,” Will said.  “That’s a whole year away.  And like I said, I will follow the Prince’s lead.”

“But _Will—”_

“Oh, leave him be, Mikey,” Lee interrupted as he played with a loose curl of Lou Ellen’s hair.

“For the love of Rhea, don’t call me that!” Michael snapped, but Lee ignored him.

“If Will doesn’t wish to initiate, then don’t make him,” Lou Ellen said.  “It won’t matter, anyway.  I’m sure he could charm the Prince with just his adorable little smile.”

Will rolled his eyes, but Michael relented with a grin and said, “This is true.  We just have the cutest little brother in the world, don’t we?”  He slung his arm around Will’s shoulders and mussed his hair, forcing Will to stoop down to his height.

“No, Michael, it took Mellie an hour to get my hair to lie this flat!” Will said, batting Michael’s hands away.  “His Highness can’t be far off and—”  Will stopped and gasped.  “Gods above, he could be here any moment!”

“Yes, he will; and we will be watching the Prince very closely this evening,” Lee promised.  “I mean no offense, but I find your testimony about the Prince not wanting to kiss you to be absolutely ludicrous.”

 

When the prince arrived, Will was waiting outside the carriage to greet him.  Asterion exited first and started sniffing Will’s shoes and clothes in interest, looking very happy to be on solid ground again.  Nico looked just as happy when he appeared in the doorway.  “Will!” he greeted, wearing a wide smile as he took Will’s hand and stepped out of the carriage.  “I’m so glad to see you.”

“I-I’m glad to see you!” Will replied.  He wouldn’t have been able to stop smiling even if he wanted to; not when Nico looked so happy.  “How was your trip?”

“Dreadful, truly dreadful,” Nico answered.  “I understand why you hate making the journey so much now.”

Reyna appeared in the door next and Will made to help her down, but Nico didn’t let go of his hand.  Fortunately, she didn’t seem to mind; she just gave them both a knowing smile and stepped down on her own.  Hedge, however, seemed less than impressed. He glowered at Will from the carriage, then stormed between Will and Nico to force their hands apart.  Will tried to smile apologetically at him, but Nico grabbed Will’s hand again before he could so much as greet Nico’s companions.

“How was your Rhegalia?” Nico asked.

“Very nice, thank you,” Will said.  “And yours?”

“Yes, good,” Nico said.  “It was good.  And you?  Wait, I already asked that.  Um.  You look pretty—I mean well.  You look well.  I like your hair—wait, no, I mean, uh...I’m just so happy to see you.”

“I’m happy to see you, too,” Will said, trying to laugh off his nerves.  “And you...you also look well.”

“I am, thank you.”

Hedge suddenly cleared his throat to get their attention.  Will wasn’t sure what he’d done to make Hedge distrust him so much, but he glowered at Will until he pulled his hand away from Nico’s.  

Nico had warned him about Hedge’s protective nature when it came to his suitors, but Will had thought that he would have made a better impression by then.  Reyna seemed to approve of him, after all.  However, when Will had stayed in Divitia that fall, Hedge had hated him instantly.  No amount of politeness had changed his opinion of Will.  Nico encouraged Will to ignore him, but Will wanted Nico’s guard to like him.  Hedge had at first been convinced that Will meant to harm Nico, but Will had somehow managed to prove that he had no desire to do to.  Then Hedge had decided that Will intended to soil Nico’s virtue and he’d spent the rest of Will’s visit to Divitia restlessly ensuring that the two of them were never alone together.  Will had been excited to see Nico, but they had barely been able to have a proper conversation with Hedge looming around and breathing down their necks.

Hedge glared disapprovingly at Will.  “The horses?” he said expectantly.

“Oh, right, yes, the groomsmen will see to it that they are cared for,” Will said, worrying that he’d already given Hedge the impression that he was a bad host.  “Unless you have any particular requests, that is,” Will added.

“The dogs will require food and water, as well,” Nico said.

“The groundskeeper will care for them immediately,” Will assured.  “Your belongings will be brought to your chambers and dinner will be held in a few hours.  If you would like to eat now, I can alert the kitchens to prepare a meal for you.”

“I can wait, thank you,” Nico said.  

“Then shall we go inside?” Will asked, then he glanced at Hedge nervously.  “Unless there is anything else that needs to be attended to?”

“No, that’s all,” Nico said, taking Will’s arm before Will even offered it.

The day started to go downhill as soon as they reached the entrance of the Sun Palace, where Will’s parents, along with Chiron, were waiting to be introduced.  Will had known that his family would embarrass him in front of his fiancé.  He just hadn’t counted on how badly.

“My father, the Duke of Diana; my stepmother, the Duchess; and Master Chiron, the family tutor,” Will said when he introduced Nico.  The proper greetings were exchanged and Nico told them that their city was beautiful, which made Will blush and Apollo brag.  Chiron and Daphne, fortunately, had a bit more social awareness than Will’s father, so the introductions were not as embarrassing as they could have been.

Will’s siblings, however, were a different case.

“Would you like to meet my siblings?” Will asked when he finally found an opportunity to pull Nico away from his father’s bragging.

Nico smiled.  “After hearing so much about them?  Of course I would.”

Although Apollo could be embarrassing, Will knew he meant well; he simply didn’t think before he spoke sometimes and he was a bit too full of himself.  He was a bit like Octavian that way, except, Will was glad to say, Apollo was not _nearly_ as terrible.   Unlike Apollo, Will’s siblings _did_ think before they spoke; they just had no qualms about embarrassing Will.

“Oh, dear,” Will muttered as soon as he heard the music coming from the parlor where his siblings had gathered.  “Lee is singing again.”

 _“Oh my sweet sweet Lou Ellen_  
_How fortunate you are,_  
_To have this flawless husband_ _  
__You must be loved by the stars.”_  

Sure enough, they entered the room to find Austin at the piano and Lee serenading Lou Ellen.  Michael and Lou Ellen were laughing so hard they were clutching their stomachs, but Kayla was too busy playing with her dolls on the floor to take notice of them.  Lee, unfortunately, had inherited Apollo’s bizarre tendency to burst into song and poetry at random.

 _“You came to the land of Zeus_  
_And a life Elysian_  
_For you wed a dashing youth_ _  
_ _Who became a handsome man._

 _The Fates have blessed you with bliss,_  
_But their favorite is not you._  
_They gave me the grander gift_ _  
__And the gift they gave was Lou.”_

Will supposed the song was sweet in Lee’s own way, but it was not the sort of thing that one would like their older brother to do when meeting one’s fiancé along with said fiancé’s guard and adviser.

“Hello!” Kayla greeted from the floor when she noticed them in the doorway.  “Look here, I have to show you something.”

“Kayla—” Will started.

“This is Paris,” Kayla said, holding up one of her dolls, then she held up a second.  “And this is Menelaus.  Menelaus was married to Paris’ friend Helen, but Paris killed Helen with a fork—” Kayla gestured to a third doll that had a fork sticking out of its head, “—so now Menelaus is marrying Paris.”

“Gods above, Kayla,” Will whispered while the rest of his siblings were doubled over laughing.

“That’s interesting,” Nico said, looking completely serious.  “Why did he use a fork?”

“Because Chiron wouldn’t let me have a knife,” Kayla replied.  “He said I can’t have knives anymore because of what happened last time.”

“What happened last time?”

“I’m not supposed to talk about it,” Kayla mumbled.

“It was a dark day for Kayla’s dolls,” sighed Austin.

Will coughed before Kayla could say anything else incriminating.  “I’d like to introduce my fiancé,” he said. “His Highness, Prince Nico, the Duke of Angelus.  These are my siblings: Lee and his wife, Lou Ellen, Michael, Austin, and Kayla.”

“We have heard much about you, Your Highness,” Lee said, grinning like he was plotting something nefarious and humiliating.  “Will thinks so highly of you.”

“And this must be the legendary Lady Reyna!” said Lou Ellen.  “Will tells us you are among the brightest political theorists of our time.”

“And here is Mister Hedge!” said Michael.  “Will is terrified of you.”

“Michael!” Will protested.

“Hedge is harmless, Lord William,” Reyna assured.

“I am not _harmless;_ he ought to be afraid of me!” growled Hedge.  “If he so much as _thinks_ about sneaking off with the Prince, I’ll—”

“Mister Hedge, I can assure you that Will has only the purest of intentions,” said Lee.  “You can rest assured that the Prince is quite safe with our Will.  Why, just an hour ago, he told us—“

“Would you care to join me for a walk in the gardens?” Will asked Nico, hoping to get him away from his siblings before they really got started embarrassing him.  “They are nothing like your mother’s gardens at the Palatium de Divitae, but they are beautiful.  You can see the wheat fields and the livestock in the distance.”

“I would love to,” Nico answered, his hand wrapping around Will’s arm.  Lee, Michael, and Lou Ellen seemed to find his response quite interesting.  They probably would have commented, but Will wasted no time escorting Nico away.  Hedge angrily stormed into the corridor after them.

“I said no sneaking off, Solace!” he yelled.  With that, he promptly collided with the maid Mellie and sent the linens she had been carrying all over the floor.

“Oh, I...uh...my apologies,” Hedge said, flushing as he helped her gather them.

“It’s no trouble, they needed to be washed anyway,” Mellie said.  When she looked up and met Hedge’s eyes, both of them blushed.

“I’m...uh...wow, you’re beauti— I mean...uh, I can help you carry them?”  Hedge stammered.

“Oh, but that’s...you’re handso— I mean, a guest.  You’re a guest, that wouldn’t be...oh, alright. If it’s not too much trouble?”

Will watched curiously as Hedge helped Mellie carry the linens down the corridor.

“That’s interesting,” Nico commented.  “Come, let’s go before he comes back.”

“What?” Will asked.  “But he’ll be upset with me if I—”

“Quickly, Will,” Nico urged, tugging on his arm.

“I don’t want him to dislike me,” Will said, but he followed Nico’s request and continued leading him outside.

“Forget about him,” Nico said.  “Don’t you want to spend time with me without him lurking around?”

Will blushed in shock.  “Well, of course I...I always want to spend time with you.”

“I do, too,” Nico said.  “With you, that is.  I want to spend time with you.  Because I...uh...have I told you that you look nice today?  You look nice today.”

“Thank you,” Will said slowly.  He thought Nico was acting strangely, but was flattered that Nico seemed excited to see him, at least.

“The journey was terrible,” Nico went on, as if he’d said nothing out of the ordinary.  “It took far too long. I did like that I was able to see so much of Jupiter, however.”

As they walked outside and made their way through the garden, Nico continued to describe his trip.  Mars was the first duchy he entered, and they had spent a day in Bellona with Reyna’s sister before continuing on.  Being near the foot of the Monti Aurei, Mars had a hilly landscape, but its hills were nothing compared to the mountains of Ventus.  Ventan roads were rough, but the weather was pleasantly cool.  The mountains rang with the songs of wind, their caps powdered with snow even though winter had ended.  Ceres came after Ventus.  The flat plains were so different that Nico remarked it was like they’d entered a different world entirely.  The golden wheat fields extended into Diana, where Nico had also seen vast meadows of blue flowers that Will identified as bluebonnets.  When Will explained that Diana was famous for its bluebonnets, Nico commented that the flowers had made him think of Will’s eyes and the golden pastures had reminded him of Will’s hair.  Will was too stunned by the comment to think of a way to reply.  He was almost glad when Nico released Will’s arm to stand in front of a marble fountain topped by a statue of a full-figured woman.

“Is this Gaia or Rhea?” Nico asked.

“Neither, actually,” Will said.  “This is called the _Fons Latonia,_ and she is my grandmother.”

“The late Duchess?”

“Yes,” Will said.  “The artist drew inspiration from Gaia and Rhea, so I see why you thought of them.  My father requested that she emphasize Leto’s strength as a mother when he commissioned the sculpture.”

“You’ve mentioned her several times,” Nico said.  “She looks beautiful. Which makes sense, because you are also—”  Nico halted in the middle of his sentence.  “Uh...I mean...she must have been a remarkable woman.”

“She was,” Will confirmed.  “Sadly, I did not know her; she passed while I was still in infancy.  My father told me that the whole city mourned for her.  It wasn’t long after her death that he commissioned this statue in her honor.  My aunt approves, oddly enough—my father and my aunt were both very fond of her.  Leto might be the one topic they agree on.”

“Do they disagree often?” Nico asked with a puzzled expression.

Will chuckled quietly.  “Oh, yes. They fought all the time growing up, I’ve been told.  They are twins; the Matestra was the first born and would have become the Duchess had she not chosen to join the Sorority.  Like me, my aunt spent half her time in Venadica and half here in Phoebus, where she could reach Delphi within an hour. But as I was saying, the two of them could hardly be more opposite; I’d wager that they would fight over the color of the grass if the opportunity arose.  When the Matestra comes to Diana, she stays for us—her niece and nephews, that is—but by the second day of her visit, she and my father will have had such a spat that they won’t talk to one another for half a year.”

Nico laughed.  “It is hard to imagine the Matestra having such a rivalry,” he said.  “She’s certainly not the most mild mannered person, but she’s never....”

“Petty?” Will suggested.

“I was trying to think of a less incriminating term, but yes.”

“I love them both, but they can indeed be quite petty, Your Highness,” Will said.

Nico laughed and took Will’s arm again.  “Is that your ranch?” he asked, pointing into the distance.

“Yes, Your Highness,” Will said proudly.  “That is where we keep our livestock.  When we marry, I will bring cattle for your family as part of my dowry.”

“My father mentioned that was being discussed,” Nico said.  “It will be good for Divitia.  It’s like you said about what these cattle have done for Phoebus; they’ll bring food and income to the city.”

“That’s what I hope for,” Will said.  “I would like our marriage to bring your people good fortune.”

“It will.  I don’t believe that you are capable of bringing anyone misfortune.”

Will swallowed a lump that rose in his throat.  “I...thank you, I...would you like to see the calves?  Several were born this season.”

“Yes, of course,” Nico answered.  “You are so proud of your cattle; of course I would like to see them.”

Will cleared his throat and stammered out a response as well as he could.  “I...yes, I’m...the pen is this way,” he managed to say.  It was a close enough walk that Will didn’t call a cart for them.  He would rather walk anyway; hopefully, the activity would quell his nerves.  “The calves are being held in the pen until they are old enough that we’ve ensured their health,” he said as they were walking.

“And the mothers?” Nico asked.

“The mothers are in the pen for most of the day, but it doesn’t take long for the calves to wean,” Will explained.  “I always stay in Diana through early spring to be here for calving season. When my aunt was Soror Princepa of Delphi, she would come to Phoebus to help with the births every year.  I was interested, so before she left to live in Venadica, she brought me to watch a birthing myself.  It was, without a doubt, the worst moment of my childhood.”

Nico laughed.  “And yet you still stay for calving season?”

“The birthing process is quite unpleasant,” Will admitted.  “Still, watching the calf take its first steps makes it worthwhile to be there.  I love seeing them stand up for the first time and nurse for the first time.  There’s nothing quite like it.”  Without thinking, he said, “I will miss being here every spring.”

“You mean when you come to live in Divitia?” Nico asked.

Will smiled when he noticed the concern in Nico’s expression.  “I will be happy in Divitia,” he assured. “I will bring cattle along with me and I will help care for them there.  But I admit that I will miss Diana.  I will miss my family.”

“It is very far,” Nico said sadly.

“I will be happy,” Will repeated.  “I would go anywhere, if it meant a life with you.”

The words had slipped out before he could stop himself and Nico went instantly silent and red in the face.  “I....” Will started, unsure of what to do next. “I...uh...the cattle.  This way.”

It wasn’t until they reached the pen that either of them spoke again.  “They are beautiful,” Nico said.  “Just like you told me they would be.”

“They are the original herd of their breed,” Will replied, leaning his elbows against the fence.  “It took my grandmother years,but she eventually bred them to be exactly what she wanted.”

Will reached out as one of the red calves came closer, holding his hand out with his palm up.  The calf sniffed his fingers curiously before continuing on her way.

“You have a such way with animals,” Nico said.  “You’re so gentle.”

“The animals respond well to it,” Will said.  “It shows them that they can trust me.”

“But you’re _always_ gentle,” Nico said, leaning against the fence beside Will.  “With animals, with people, with every object you handle.  You treat everything with so much care.  I like that about you.”

Will glanced at Nico in surprise before turning away to hide his blush.   _I like that about you,_ he’d said.  “Well,” Will said, struggling to find words.  “People, animals, things...they deserve to be treated with care.”

“Not everyone thinks like that,” Nico said.  “I’m certainly not that kind.”

Will shook his head.  “Oh, but I think you are very kind, Your Highness.”

Nico looked at Will with an expression that Will couldn’t read.  “I...would like to be. You make me want to be kind.”

“But you already are,” Will said in confusion.

“Well, not everyone agrees with you.”

Will frowned, unsure if it would be a breach of etiquette to ask Nico what he meant.  Nico gave Will a half-smile and saved him the trouble.  “I’m sure you’re aware that my country does not think very highly of me,” he said.

“Yes,” Will admitted, surprised to hear Nico address it.  “But they are mistaken.  This happens over and over in history, I’ve studied it—a population suffers a great tragedy and they need a place to direct their hurt.  You are the prince of a kingdom in mourning.  It is not your actions that brought about that opinion of you.”

Nico sighed.  “That’s partly true.  Still, do you have any idea how many trials it took to find someone who was willing to marry me?  I don’t generally do well with people.  I can’t...interact properly, I suppose.  I’m trying, though.  I’m getting better.”

“But you are kind to me,” Will insisted.

“Well, you are you,” Nico replied.  Will nearly jumped in surprise when he felt Nico’s hand cover his own.  “How could I not be kind to someone like you?”

“I...that’s...uh....”  Will didn’t know what to say.  He was confused and a bit concerned about Nico’s self-concept.  He felt flustered, especially when he realized how close Nico was standing and noticed how intensely Nico was looking at him.  Clearing his throat, Will took a step back from the fence, unsure how they’d gotten so close to begin with.  “We...we ought to make our way back,” he said.  “I don’t want Hedge to dislike me more than he already does.”  He tried to laugh a bit to make the statement sound humorous, but Nico did not smile.  Instead, he made a noncommittal sound and took Will’s offered arm.

“What did you have planned for tomorrow?” Nico asked as they started walking.

“If you are not too averse to be in a carriage again, I would like to take you to Delphi,” Will answered.  “It’s not a long trip; we’ll be back in Phoebus by the end of the day.”

“I would love that,” Nico said.

Nico continued to smile at Will when he spoke, but remained strangely terse on the way back to the Sun Palace.  Will wasn’t a fool; he could tell that Nico’s opinion of him had changed over time.  He knew that Nico enjoyed being around him and he had the hopeful suspicion that Nico was even beginning to have feelings for him.  Still, Will always had a hard time figuring out what to make of Nico.

As for Will’s feelings, they had also changed.  When he was a child, he’d been so in awe of Nico that he’d developed an admiration that had lasted ten years, but those feelings had been for a distant idol.  Now that Nico was his fiancé, that idol was beginning to disappear, replaced by a Nico that was real and human.  Will was slowly getting to know Nico.  The more he learned, the deeper his feelings grew.  Perhaps that was why Nico confused him so much; he’d had Nico on an imaginary pedestal for so long that it was a bit of a challenge to wrap his mind around exactly how _human_ Nico was.

Aside from his shallow, distant admiration of Nico, Will had never truly been in love, nor had he been particularly interested in love or marriage.  He had been entirely willing to marry if it benefited his family, but if he’d been given the choice, Will would have preferred not to.  He’d always had a secret dream of being like a soror.  He couldn’t join the Sorority, of course, but he would have liked to take his own private oath of chastity, devoting his life entirely to healing.  He’d never mentioned that to his family and it was a good thing he hadn’t.  If Artemis had known, she would not have arranged for Will and Nico to meet.  Marriage was a different matter if it involved Nico.

Considering his previous disinterest in marriage and his lack of experience in romantic matters, Will hadn’t known what to expect when it came to love.  When others had offered explanations of what love felt like, Will hadn’t understood.  No matter how hard he tried, Will had never quite been able to imagine it.

Truthfully, Will still didn’t understand what they meant.  His feelings for Nico lacked the passionate, exciting flame that he had been led to expect.  What he felt instead was a calm warmth, like the heat that radiated from a fire on a cold winter night.  His love for Nico was defined more by comfort than by passion.

That wasn’t to say that Will didn’t find his feelings exciting; they just weren’t quite what he’d been told he would feel.  Perhaps Will would experience the strange affections of romance that had been described to him one day, but perhaps not.  Will didn’t think it mattered.  He liked the way he felt and he would be happy to feel that way forever.

And now that Nico appeared to be starting to love Will back, Will was so happy and nervous he didn’t know what to do.  His lack of romantic understanding was now quite blatantly obvious.  Was he supposed to woo Nico?  Did Nico expect to be wooed?  How did one go about wooing?  Despite his older siblings constantly teasing him about his ‘natural charm,’ Will didn’t know _how_ to be charming.  He only knew how to be kind and polite and honest, which he considered to be desirable characteristics, so he tried to behave accordingly.  There had been a few times that Will had been so excited and happy to be near Nico that he’d acted on impulse and done something that might have seemed too forward, but Nico never seemed too offended and Will did his best to keep it from happening.

Will decided he would have to act carefully.  Nico was still a prince and there were still rules of etiquette to follow.  If Will’s feelings urged him to act too brazenly, it could make Nico uncomfortable—and it would _definitely_ make Hedge angry.

 

Will had hoped that his family had finished embarrassing him.  He was wrong.

At dinner, Kayla demanded to be allowed to sit next to Nico, so Nico ended up at the middle of the table between Will and Kayla rather than by the head, where a guest would normally be seated.  Kayla, who loved to talk, wasted no time engaging Nico in conversation.  She told him all about Menelaus’ fork-embedded adventures with his husband, Paris.  Later, Will would be relieved that Kayla had kept Nico occupied.

At some point, Nico’s ankle became linked with his, which made it very difficult for Will to think clearly enough to guide the conversation to safe topics.  Austin was too shy to do much damage and Daphne was sensible enough to know how to act in front of a guest, but with Michael’s tendency to swear, Kayla’s colorful and violent imagination, and Lee and Lou Ellen flirting at one end of the table while Apollo and Hyacinthus flirted at the other,  it was impossible to escape dinner without being somewhat embarrassed.

It turned out that Will had drastically underestimated his family’s ability to traumatize him.  Everything plummeted downhill the moment Apollo began reciting poetry.

 _“A table is full,_  
_My son will marry a prince,_ _  
__I am fabulous.”_

“Gods above, Papa,” Will groaned, wanting to melt into the floor.

“Not that _haiku_ business again,” sighed Daphne.  “It’s not even real poetry.”

Apollo turned to her in outrage.  “Yes, Daphne, it is.  _You_ simply refuse to appreciate the cultural traditions of the people east of the ocean.”

“It _doesn’t_ _rhyme!”_

“But the rhythmic scheme!  Hyacinth, you like my poetry, don’t you?”

Hyacinthus exchanged a glance with Daphne.  Despite that one of them was Apollo’s estranged wife and the other Apollo’s lover, the two of them were friendly.  Hyacinthus got along with just about everyone and Daphne didn’t particularly care what Apollo did with his life.  “Well,” Hyacinthus said after a hesitation, “I certainly appreciate the effort.”

“I have a poem, too!” Lee announced excitedly.

“Oh gods, please don’t,” Will murmured, but Lee turned to Lou Ellen, cleared his throat, and began to recite.

_“My wife is a siren named Lou.”_

“Oh, no,” Apollo said, his expression twisting in horror.

 _“—The woman my heart doth pursue_.”

“Not a _limerick,”_ Apollo groaned.

 _“Just one little kiss_  
_Ignites the testis_ _  
__So we’ll go upstairs then we’ll scr—”_

“Lee!” Will interrupted in shock.  He glanced at Nico, fearing he’d be offended.  Fortunately, Nico seemed too busy discussing methods of decapitating dolls with Kayla to have heard Lee.

“Is that a promise?” Lou Ellen asked Lee with a mischievous grin.

“Gaea’s tits, we have a _guest!"_  Michael snickered.

 _“Michael!”_ Will hissed, wishing his brother would watch his phrasing.  “Please, Michael, _please,_ just for one evening, can you _please_ not use that language?”

“Can I use that language?” Lou Ellen piped up.

“Gods above, Lou,” Will mumbled.

“Besides, I’m not the one who’s going to marry said guest, now am I?” Lee pointed out. _“I’m_ not trying to impress him.  But if I _were_ trying to impress him, I think my poetry would win him over quite easily!”

Hyacinthus sighed.  “You _are_ your father’s son.”

“He’s not when he speaks in limericks!” Apollo snapped.

“Well then who’s son am I?” Michael asked.

“You’re mine,” Daphne answered.

“And who’s son am I?” Austin asked.

“Apollo’s,” said Hyacinthus.

“No, I would say he’s equal parts Apollo and his mother,” Daphne said.

“Latricia and I will have to fight it out,” Apollo said.  “As for Kayla, we’ll have to wait until she gets a bit older.  It’s too soon to say.”

“And what about me?” Will asked curiously.

Apollo, Daphne, and Hyacinthus glanced at each other.  “Probably my sister’s,” Apollo decided.

“Definitely the Matestra,” Hyacinthus agreed, while Daphne nodded and said, “Yes, the Matestra.”

“And me?” asked Lou Ellen.

“I’ll take you,” Hyacinthus answered.

“And the Prince?” Michael asked.

Everyone at the table turned to Nico, almost as though they’d forgotten they had a guest.  Will hadn’t realized that Nico had started listening to their conversation, but Nico appeared to have been following along.

“I’m my father’s,” Nico said.  “My mother tells me that often enough.”

“That’s surprising,” Michael said.  “When Will was a boy, after he met you in Venadica at our aunt’s inauguration, he told me that he thought the King was quite frightening, but that you were very clever and nice and good at dancing.”

 _“Michael,”_ Will hissed.

“Would you like to know what else Will told me about you when he was a boy, Your Highness?”

“Michael, _no,”_ Will whispered in horror, but Nico said, “Yes.”

“He spent the entire trip home from our aunt’s inauguration talking about you,” Lee said.  “He thought you were ‘the most amazing person in the whole world,’ if I’m remembering correctly.”

“And said that he wanted to be as good at dancing as you,” Michael added.

“He also followed Chiron around for several weeks begging to be taught how to play Acies because, I quote: ‘Prince Nico likes to play Acies, Prince Nico is so amazing, I want to be like Prince Nico.’”

“He did?” Nico asked, glancing towards Will.

“I was only six,” Will mumbled, as though that was enough of an excuse.

“And he was an _adorable_ six-year-old,” Daphne said.  “He told me that he thought you were very pretty.”

WIll looked at his step-mother in shock.  “Mama!” he said.  He’d expected her to be an ally while the others were busy embarrassing him, or at the very least to refrain from embarrassing him herself.

“Mellie, would you fetch the portrait of Will and his rabbit?” Hyacinthus asked, waving the maid over.  “Apollo is so fond of that portrait. I’m sure the Prince would _love_ to see it.”

“Oh, no,” Will whispered.  Even  _Hyacinthus_ had no mercy.

“Will has a rabbit?” Nico asked.

“Had, Your Highness,” Lee corrected.  “He’s been gone for a while now.  Will cried for _weeks_ when that rabbit died.”

“Lee!” Will hissed.

“It was a nasty old thing, too,” Michael added unhelpfully.  “The ugliest rabbit I’ve ever seen.  We still aren’t sure where Will managed to find that beast—probably stealing our turnips, I’d guess.  He just turned up with a mangy little savage of a rabbit one day when he was barely older than Kayla, sobbing about how we just _had_ to let him keep the thing.”

“She needed a home,” Will protested weakly.

“That monster was _not_ a she,” Michael snarled.  “I saw enough evidence of that during breeding season.”

“I...I don’t remember that,” Will said in confusion.

“Well, we can’t _all_ be as blissfully innocent as you.”

“But Will _loved_ that rabbit,” Lee went on.  “They were inseparable.  The rest of us hated the thing—Austin cried every time he saw it.”

“Hey!” shouted Austin.

“No, no, we’re not teasing; it was a perfectly reasonable response,” Lee assured.

“I was terrified of the little monster, too,” Michael added.

Will was ready to die by the time Mellie returned with the portrait and presented it to Nico.

“I don’t think the rabbit is _that_ ugly,” Nico said.

“Well...the artist was rather generous when she painted her,” Will admitted.

“Not _her,”_ Michael insisted.  “Not even _he._ That thing was an _it,_ the disgusting little demon.”

Apollo stood up to get a better view of the painting.  “Oh, I really do love that portrait,” he said with a sigh.  “Look at his chubby little cheeks!  Gods above, Will, you were so adorable.”

“Too charming,” Lee agreed.

“An absolute angel,” said Daphne.

“Such a precious boy,” added Michael.

“My gods!” Will said, finally cracking under his mortification.  “I swear, even _Octavian_  couldn’t have made this evening more embarrassing!”

“Who is Octavian?” Nico asked.

Will cursed himself for even speaking the name.  “He’s...our cousin,” Will said slowly.  “Distant cousin.  Very distant.”

“Not distant enough,” sighed Michael.

“Don’t worry about Octavian, Your Highness,” Lee said.  “You wouldn’t like him.”

“No one does,” Michael muttered.

“He won’t be returning during your visit, so it’s nothing to concern yourself about,” Lee said, then he turned to Will and said,  “Don’t worry, Will, I’m sure you’ll see plenty of portraits of the Prince as a child, too.”

“There aren’t many,” Nico said before Will could think of an answer.  “We didn’t commission artists very often during my childhood.”

“Why?” asked Austin.

“Why do you _think,_ Austin?” Michael snapped.

“Oh,” Austin said.  “Oh, right.  The disease.”

“It didn’t leave funds available for artwork,” Nico answered.

“Well, then you should have married Will sooner,” Kayla sniffed.  “My papa would have paid for them.”

 _“Kayla,”_ Will warned.

“Well, I’m right!  You should have helped them, Papa.”

“Darling, he did,” Daphne interrupted.

“Of course I did!” Apollo said indignantly.  “Neptune and Jupiter donated millions of aurei to Pluto during that time.  I wouldn’t have sat in my wealth and let a country die, especially not when I had a son and a sister there.”

Will glanced at Nico to see how he was reacting to the topic.  He knew that the Scarlet Delirium had taken much from Nico.  On a few occasions, Nico had mentioned it in his letters, using short, blunt sentences like he didn’t want to spend more time thinking about it than he had to.

Nico’s expression was difficult to read, however.  His eyes were serious and his face did not betray his emotions.  “Thank you,” he said to Apollo. “I knew that we received financial assistance, but I...I don’t know what other words to use.  Thank you.”

“I only wish I had done more,” Apollo said.  “But if you truly wish to thank me, you can start by making a good husband for my son.”

“Papa!” Will exclaimed.

“I intend to,” Nico said.  He tapped Will’s foot with his own.  When Will looked at him, Nico was smiling again.  His eyes were still serious, but soft, and Will had no choice but to smile back.

 

When the fiasco that was dinner finally ended, Will escorted Nico to the room he would stay in.  Will wanted to apologize for his family’s oddities and explain that they meant well, but he was barely able to find the confidence to speak at all with Hedge at their heels, having reappeared after spending most of the afternoon with Mellie.

“Thank you for escorting me,” Nico said when Will stopped at his door.  “I....” Nico briefly glanced at Hedge in frustration.  “I’m glad I’m here.  With you. I missed you.”

“I also am glad,” Will replied.  “I missed you, as well.”

“And your family seems to care for you very much.”

Will blushed.  “Yes.  I care for them, as well.  They are a good family, even if they are...strange.”

“They are a bit odd,” Nico admitted.  “But they seem very loving.”

“And I wanted to say thank you for the way you treated Kayla,” Will said quickly, before his nerves could take over.  “I know she can be a bit much, but thank you for the way you acted with her.”

“I have a sister only a few years older than her,” Nico reminded.  “I know what they are like.”

“You were wonderful with her,” Will added.  “It made her happy.  She liked you, I could tell.”

“I liked her, too.”

Will looked down and smiled at his shoes to hide his blush.  He’d probably fallen a bit more in love when he watched Nico with his sister.

“I’m very, very happy to see you again,” Nico said softly.  “I—”

Hedge loudly cleared his throat and Will jumped back when he realized how close Nico was standing.  “I will see you in the morning,” Will said before Hedge could get more upset with him than he already was.  “We’ll leave early and be in Delphi by noon.”

Nico glared at Hedge before turning back to Will.  “Yes.  Sleep well.”

“Sleep well, Your Highness.”

Will tried to leave after Nico disappeared into his room, but Hedge didn’t let him escape that easily.  “Just a moment, Lord Solace,” he said.

Will halted and nervously turned back.  “Have I done something wrong?” he asked.

“Well, you _did_ sneak the Prince away from me earlier today,” Hedge said.  “I’m not at all happy about that.”

“I’m very sorry, it wasn’t—”

“Despite that, I’m beginning to like you, William of Solace,” Hedge went on.  “You make the Prince smile.  Keep that up.  And keep your _little Willie_ down.”

Will shook his head in shock.  “I assure you, I have absolutely no intention of—”

“I’m always watching, Lord Solace,” Hedge growled.  “The Morai seem to have favored you thus far.  Don’t tempt them.”

“I—I don’t....”

Hedge didn’t stay to listen to Will’s protests.  He gave Will one last glare, then marched off to follow Nico into his room.

Will blinked a few times before his surprise wore off, then made to go to his own room to retire for the night.  It had been an exhausting day.

Naturally, Lee, Michael, and Lou Ellen did not intend to let him rest just yet.

“Will, you are a blind fool,” Michael said after abducting Will from the corridor and throwing him into Lee’s drawing room.

Will frowned.  “What?  Why?”

 _“‘He’s never indicated he’d be interested in doing that sort of thing,’”_ Lou Ellen imitated.  “Really, Will?”

“Have you not noticed the way he looks at you?” Lee said.  “He’s mad about you, Will.  His eyes barely left you all evening.”

Will shook his head.  “That’s not true.  He likes me, of course; we are friendly.  Perhaps he feels _something_ more for me, but to say he’s ‘mad about me’ is quite the exaggeration.”

 _“What?”_ Michael exploded.  “By the Gods, how did you ever become a consor?”

“He _clearly_ wants to kiss you,” Lee added.

Michael snorted.  “He wants to do a lot more than _kissing_ , if you ask me.”

Will sighed.  “Michael, I seriously doubt that the Prince—”

 _“We_ don’t,” Lee and Lou Ellen said in unison.

Shaking his head, Will tried to make his escape.  “I appreciate that you are trying to help me, but—”

“Dear gods, Will, with the way he looks at you?” said Lee.  “You don’t _need_ any help.”

“I think I will wait to hear that from the Prince before I believe it,” Will replied.  “Now may I please go to bed?  I am exhausted, thanks to a few members of my family who seem intent on embarrassing me.”

“Fine, go on and get your sleep,” Lee said, waving him off.  “You’ll need to look your best for your little outing tomorrow.”

“No, he doesn’t,” Lou Ellen disagreed.  “He could look his worst and the Prince would still want him.”

Will sighed.   _“Goodnight,”_ he said pointedly.

“Let us know if the Prince tries to sneak into your room tonight,” Michael called after him.  “Lou and I have a bet that—”

Will shut the door before Michael could finish, then rubbed his pounding head and walked to his own room, relieved that the most embarrassing day of his life was finally over.


	2. Chapter 2

Nico’s first day in Diana had not been a _complete_ failure, but it hadn’t gone the way he had hoped.  To his surprise, he might have even done well when meeting Will’s family.  He had been quite determined to be polite and it appeared he had succeeded.  Yes, Will’s family was rather odd and lacked some refinement, but they were friendly.  They quite obviously adored Will—which was to be expected, as Nico believed it was rather difficult to not adore him.  Nico had enjoyed hearing about Will’s long-lasting admiration of him.  He’d also enjoyed the portrait.

However, Nico had been hoping for a bit...more.

When Will stayed in Divitia in the fall, Nico had attempted to get Will alone several times but Hedge had always been in the way.  All of Nico’s attempts to get Will to kiss him had been thwarted.  His disappointment had led to determination and Nico had resolutely decided he would succeed in kissing Will the next time they met.  Nico would never admit to it, but he had entertained fantasies about Will sweeping him into his arms and kissing him the moment he stepped foot on Dianan soil.  It was a ridiculous idea, so Nico wasn’t terribly disappointed that it didn’t happen.  He _had_ been disappointed when Will didn’t kiss him at all that day.  Nico had given Will plenty of opportunities to do it.  He had complimented Will.  He had stood close to Will.  He’d _touched_ Will.  He’d even managed to escape from Hedge!  And yet, Will had done nothing about it.

Despite that, Nico remained determined.  He vowed that he would get Will to kiss him on his second day.  Surely they would find an appropriate time for it; they would be in _Delphi._

Delphi, the most important Sororal city in Jupiter, was located just outside of Phoebus.  Although they were both Sororal cities, Delphi and Venadica were said to be very different.  Venadica was the City of Enlightenment, a place where some of the most brilliant sorors and consors studied.  On the other hand, Delphi was known as a place for the entire Populus Romanus to gather and celebrate the gods.  Of course Delphi was dedicated to ’the hunt,’ as well—Will studied there in the winter—but that wasn’t the city’s purpose.

The city was most famous for its pleasure gardens.  The Gardens of Delphi were open to the public and contained not only stunningly artistic landscaping, but also an opera house and menagerie.  It was partially the Gardens of Delphi that made public pleasure gardens so popular throughout the Romanus Terris.  Its influence was no coincidence; the city had been a gathering place since ancient times.  According to legend, the city was the center of the world, located at Gaea’s navel.  Nico could remember Bianca telling him that late one evening when they had sneaked out of their rooms to play.  They had giggled about it all night long.

The important thing was that Will was taking them to a famously beautiful place and Nico would not let the day end before he got Will to kiss him.  It had occurred to Nico that he could simply _tell_ Will that he wanted a kiss, but he had never seriously considered doing so.  That would be far too embarrassing and improper.  And, of course, Nico could theoretically be the one to kiss Will, but Nico would not allow himself to commit such a scandalous act.  The only viable solution was to somehow get Will to kiss him, preferably without revealing too much of his enthusiasm about the idea.  Unfortunately, Will was unlikely to do it on his own; as the Prince, Nico would be the one to initiate all novel steps in their relationship.  Nico had been the one to propose, their wedding would be in Nico’s home, and Nico would be the one to decide where and when they kissed.  So Nico had to somehow dictate the appropriateness of the setting to Will without actually giving the kiss itself.

“The room I stayed in was _massive,”_ Nico said as they were traveling to Delphi.  “You didn’t tell me that your home was so beautiful!”

Will was watching him with a smile that was sweet, kind, and so very _Will_ in a way that made Nico want to kiss it.  “Well, it is our best guest room,” Will said.

“But it was huge!  You could have fit a stable in there!”

Will chuckled.  “Rooms in southern Jupiter tend to be larger than those in Pluto.  The weather is warmer here.  Pluto’s harsh winters are what makes smaller rooms more common there; small rooms are easier to heat.  But, although your rooms are smaller, you have many more of them.”

“That is true,” Nico said thoughtfully.  Regardless, the Sun Palace had provided Nico with a clearer picture of exactly how wealthy his fiancé was.  Of course the Palatium de Divitae was just as opulent, but it lacked the liveliness of the Sun Palace.  The Divitae was kept clean and in good condition, but something about the atmosphere had seemed cold and dead since the Scarlet Delirium.  Will’s home was just the opposite; it was filled with people and activity.  Every room was kept lit, as they were constantly in use; the Sun Palace was home to not only Apollo’s family, but the staff and farm workers and their families, as well.  The wealth of the Dianan family allowed it to not only inhabit a beautiful palace, but to truly fill it with their presence and provide for everyone who called it home.

Even the carriage was luxurious.  They were taking one of Apollo’s, an updated model with a spring system that made the ride smoother.  There was enough room to comfortably seat Nico and Will as well as Reyna and Hedge, and there was _still_ room for Asterion to lie on the floor between them.  The outside of the carriage was gilded like the Hall of Gold in the Palatium de Divitae and the inside was lined with leather.  Nico was in awe of how beautiful it was, but he was also insecure about what Will might think of the Pluton royal carriage he traveled in.  The seats were not cushioned as well, the ride was bumpy, and the design was rather plain by comparison.  Will knew about Pluto’s economic troubles, but how did that play into his opinion of Nico?

“Have you seen _Rheae Fidelium?”_ Will suddenly asked, pulling Nico from his ruminating.

“I have not,” Nico replied, wondering if that made him seem uncultured.  It was a popular opera, but the royal family’s budgeting left the arts somewhat neglected.

“The current act in Delphi is performing it.  I thought we might attend, if you enjoy opera?”

“Do you enjoy opera?” Nico asked.

Still smiling, Will tilted his head to the side and said, “I asked Your Highness first.”

Without warning, Hedge suddenly exploded, “That is no way to speak to the Prince!”

Will looked shocked, then sheepish, but Reyna intervened before anything else could happen.  “Hedge,” she said sternly.  “Remember what we discussed this morning.”

Hedge grumbled to himself, but didn’t fight back.  It was pointless to resist Reyna; Nico knew from experience.  Earlier that day, when Hedge and Nico had gotten into an argument over what constituted as proper behavior of a suitor, Reyna had grown tired of their bickering and reminded Hedge that _she_ was Nico’s chaperone, while Hedge’s main concern should be Nico’s safety.  Hedge feebly argued that he was trying to keep Nico’s chastity safe, but Reyna once again reminded Hedge that Nico’s chastity was her responsibility, not his.  “I find it difficult to believe that Lord William poses a threat to the Prince’s virtue,” she had added.  Nico hadn’t said it outloud, but he was fairly certain that he threatened Will’s virtue more than Will threatened his.

Nico cleared his throat to cut through the sudden tension in the carriage and said, “Yes, I enjoy opera.  And you?”

“I love the opera,” Will said.  Nico refused to admit that his breath caught just a bit at the word ’love.’ “ _Rheae Fidelium_ is my favorite.  I admit I’ve already gone to Delphi to watch it a few times this season.  I never tire of it.”

“Then of course I would like to see it,” Nico said.  He wondered if they would have a box to themselves.  Last time they’d gone to the opera together, the box had been crowded.  Perhaps this time, they would be alone, sitting side by side in the dark.  Perhaps then Nico would get Will to kiss him.  They would kiss while listening to the music of Will’s favorite opera and it would make Will so happy that he would think of Nico every time he heard it in the future.

When they arrived in Delphi, Will showed him the city through the carriage window.  Nico’s heart raced when Will leaned closer to look over Nico’s shoulder at the passing scenery.  Hedge had looked like he wanted to interject, but Reyna’s scolding hadn’t worn off quite yet and he remained silent.  Nico was glad.  He liked the tingling feeling on his back as he imagined Will leaning closer, close enough to touch him.  To his surprise, he even liked the height Will had on him when his soft voice came from above his shoulder.  Will had grown taller since the last time they’d met in person.  Nico had grown taller, as well, and he’d hoped that he would have caught back up to Will’s height, but those hopes turned out to be in vain.  It was annoying, but also notably attractive.  Nico could admit that it was a nice angle to look at Will from.  Nico had also noticed that Will looked rather like his father and his oldest brother, Lee.  Both Apollo and Lee were quite handsome, which led Nico to believe that Will could only grow more attractive as he aged.  It was an appealing idea.

Will paid the entrance fee for the Gardens of Delphi—technically a voluntary donation, Will explained, but it was frowned upon not to pay—and Nico’s hopes about being alone in the dark were confirmed when Will sent notice to the staff that he would make use of the Duke’s box later that afternoon.  “Would you like to watch the nightly fireworks ceremony?” Will asked as they were exiting the carriage.  “I must warn you that it begins after sundown, so it will be late by the time we return to Phoebus.”

“Of course I want to watch,” Nico said.  “When will I have the chance to view the Gardens of Delphi’s famous fireworks ceremony?”

Will chuckled.  “Then we’ll be sure to make the most of your visit.  We have a few hours before the start of the opera if you would like to see the menagerie.”

When Nico agreed, Will offered his arm and started down the path that led to the menagerie.  Asterion trotted beside them while Reyna and Hedge followed farther back.  Will talked about the menagerie’s history as they walked, explaining that it had began as a collection of animals bought by an old Dianan duke who loved to flaunt his wealth.  “The menagerie is much better than it used to be,” Will said as he paid a second donation to enter.  “Long ago, they used to stage fights between the animals for amusement—bears and elephants, tigers and leopards.  Their care improved after the animals were moved to Delphi, but the menagerie was still rather ill-equipped to house them.  It puts quite the stain on Delphi’s history, to say the least.  Thankfully, the Sorority has learned quite a bit about animals since then.  Once, menageries were for spectators to gawk at exotic animals in cages.  Now they are becoming more educational in nature.”

Nico slowed their pace as they walked in front of the tiger exhibit.  “It seems to me that we _are_ spectators gawking at exotic animals,” he commented as he admired the tiger’s coat.

“Well...yes.  But we made a donation when we entered and that will fund research and improvements for the facilities.  The animals aren’t in cages, as you can see.  The enclosures are much better equipped than they once were.  The foliage mimics the natural environment of the tiger and offers coverage, should she wish to escape from the view of visitors.  The menagerie receives complaints about the animals not always being visible, but zoologists believe that it gives the animals a sense of safety and a degree of control over their environment.  There are still many problems to be addressed, but this is progress.”

“I suspect the Sorority has had a hand in these improvements?” Nico asked.

“Of course.  Menageries are improving all across the Romanus Terris.  Delphi’s menagerie is by no means the largest, but it is one of the best.  The animals are quite active.” Will gestured to the lion exhibit, where a cub was playfully nudging and pushing his sleeping brother.  Ultimately, he gave up and lay down next to him to nap.  “Delphi’s lioness had cubs not long ago.  It attracted a nice crowd of visitors who donated to finance the cubs’ care.  They are doing very well.  Of course, the lions tend to sleep until dusk—many of the animals are most active at dawn and dusk, so we don’t always get to see it.”

“You seem to know a lot about the menagerie,” Nico said.

“I spent the last two winters studying the animals’ health,” Will explained.  “I was here when the lioness had her cubs.”

“You delivered the cubs?”

“No, no, the lioness did the work,” he said.  “I was only there to ensure it went well.  Most animals don’t need help delivering.  But anyway, would you like to see the apes?  Delphi is particularly proud of its ape exhibit.”

They passed by the elephants and camels on their way and Nico listened as Will talked about them.  He was quite impressed by how much Will knew, but mostly he liked listening to Will.  He was serious but passionate and excited, and he didn’t seem to be anywhere close to exhausting the topic.  Nico suspected he could spend days talking about it.  Nico also suspected he could spend days listening to Will talk; he enjoyed the sound of Will’s voice.  His Dianan accent was stronger than usual, which Nico found endearing.  Asterion seemed very interested in the apes and Will babbled about the exhibit for such a long time that he only stopped when he realized that they had to hurry through the remainder of the menagerie to get to the opera house on time.

“Many sorors and consors favor the term ’zoological gardens’ over menagerie,” Will commented as they were walking.  “They say it more accurately reflects the educational purpose.”

“Then why do you call them ’menageries’?” Nico asked.  It seemed like a movement he would support.

Will looked sheepish.  “I like the way it sounds,” he admitted.

Nico laughed, but he liked the way Will said the word, too.  “Your accent is different here.  It sounds much more southern Juvian.”

“Does it?” Will asked with a curious expression.

“You usually have a much more Venadican way of speaking,” Nico explained.  “At least, on the occasions I’ve seen you.”

“I suppose my accent changes depending on who I have been around,” Will said thoughtfully.  “I had not noticed that.  It’s a pity that neither Venadican nor southern Juvian are particularly attractive accents.”

“I don’t think so,” Nico protested.  “I think your accent is charming.”

Will’s face turned pink.  Nico liked it.  Nico wanted to reach out and touch Will’s flushed cheeks.  Were they hot?  Were they soft?  They were probably soft.  Nico wanted to touch them.  Then pull Will’s face closer.  Then kiss him.  A lot.

Nico forced himself to stop his thoughts there.

“But like I was saying,” Will continued, still blushing.  “Learning about the animals has helped us find out how to improve their lives.  Tigers prefer to be alone, but elephants like to be in groups, for example.  We do the same with our livestock.”

“Then we will need to make a proper ranch in Divitia,” Nico said thoughtfully.

“Yes,” Will agreed.  “Divitia must be prepared for the cattle before our wedding.  There are few options of suitable breeds that we are considering.”

“They won’t be the same breed as your herd?” Nico asked in surprise.

“No, they would not do well in Pluto’s climate.”

“I had not thought of that,” Nico said.  “Your family has considered everything.”

“My family has quite the passion for ranching,” Will said.  “My aunt cares deeply for animals, as well; zoology is one of her concentrations, along with gynecology and ecology.  She has sped up the Sorority’s progress on zoological studies.  She told me that her mother’s ranch inspired her love for animals.”

Nico sighed, remembering how sad Will had looked the day before when he told Nico he would miss being in Phoebus for calving season.  “I wish that you didn’t have to be so far from it,” he mumbled.  “When we marry, I mean.”

Will only smiled.  “I will be happy in Divitia,” he said, just as he had the day before.

“Have you ever even been through a Pluton winter?” Nico asked.

“Once, about nine years ago.  I’ll admit it wasn’t pleasant, but I will learn to survive it.”

A few absurd thoughts about methods of keeping Will warm crossed through Nico’s mind.  He flushed.  “What animal is that?” Nico asked to distract himself, pointing to a sandy enclosure with a pond and a large reptile.

“A crocodile, Your Highness.  They are native to Aegyptia—wouldn’t do well in Pluto’s climate either, I’m afraid.  Austin loves crocodiles; they are his favorite animal.”

“Austin didn’t talk much yesterday,” Nico commented.  “You did say that he tends to be shy.”

“Only at first,” Will answered with a chuckle.  He stopped and said a few words to a soror at the exit of the menagerie as they left, but continued when they passed through the gates.  “Once Austin feels comfortable, he is just as loud as the rest of them.  Loud _er,_ sometimes.  Austin is....” Will paused like he was searching for words.  “He feels very strong emotions.”

“Strong emotions?” Nico asked curiously.

“He’s very passionate,” Will said.  “It’s a good thing most of the time.  It’s why he is such a talented musician; he gets lost in the music.  When he’s happy, he’s a joy to be around.  He has a wonderful sense of humor—and a cleaner sense of humor than my older siblings.  Being a part of his family is...I don’t know how to explain it.  When Austin loves, he loves with his entire being.  Everything Austin does is loud and filled with emotion.  Unfortunately, that extends to his negative emotions, as well.”

“Such as...anger?” Nico asked.

Will shook his head.  “Oh, no,” he said quickly.  “Austin rarely gets angry.  No, I mean sadness.  Anxiety.  Stress.  He takes everything that happens to him to heart and he feels things so deeply that sometimes it overwhelms him.  He knows that he can sometimes experience things a bit differently than others do and he’s sensitive about it.  Last night Lee made a comment about Austin crying around the rabbit, if you recall.  That’s the sort of thing that might upset Austin, which is why Lee quickly assured him that he wasn’t teasing.  Austin tries to control it, but he can’t help the way he reacts to things.  I think he’s so quiet around strangers because afraid that his emotions burden people.  It’s not a burden, of course; I only wish he didn’t feel so much hurt.” Will sighed as they ascended the stairs to the opera house.  “Anyway, I’m sure you noticed that my family members tend to tease quite often.  It’s always for fun, never malicious, but we know it hurts Austin if we take it too far; we’ve all seen Austin break down at some point.  We take care of him—not so much that he feels singled out, but enough to let him know that we think the world of him.  Oh, the box is this way, Your Highness.  We ought to wait for Lady Reyna and Hedge so they can follow.”

Nico had nearly forgotten that Reyna and Hedge were with them; Reyna seemed to have been effective in reigning Hedge’s behavior.  She constantly reminded Hedge that chaperones and guards should be present, but not intrusive, and it appeared the lecture she had given him the day before had been effective—at least for the time being.

“Now Kayla, on the other hand,” Will said when Reyna and Hedge got close enough for them to continue walking.  “Kayla is a bit of trouble.”

Nico laughed.  Early that morning, Kayla had found Nico to excitedly flaunt her destroyed Paris doll.  She’d informed him that Menelaus had grown tired of Paris and murdered him in exchange for an apple.  The wooden doll had barely been recognizable, as she had smashed it to splinters using a hammer.  Nico had complimented Kayla on her thoroughness.

“A bit?” Nico teased, then mentally scolded himself.  He shouldn’t tease Will’s family, especially not so soon after meeting them.  He’d meant it as a joke, but if Will didn’t take it that way—

But Will chuckled.  “Alright, she’s a lot of trouble.  But so charming.”

“Yes, she is.  Rather like a certain charming young boy I’ve been hearing about recently.”

Will went scarlet.  “That...that wasn’t...it was all very exaggerated.”

“Was it really?  The portrait implied differently.”

“I...that...uh...Kayla,” Will stuttered as they reached their box.  “I was talking about Kayla.”

“Yes, tell me about Kayla,” Nico agreed.  The lights in the theater hadn’t been dimmed yet, to Nico’s disappointment.  He hadn’t forgotten his plan to get Will to kiss him in the dark.  However, he was pleased to see that Reyna and Hedge remained at the entrance of the box rather than coming in closer, and he didn’t mind when Asterion decided to lie next to him.

“Kayla is a bit of a terror,” Will said, letting Nico take a seat before joining him.  “It’s probably our fault for spoiling her so much, but we can’t help but favor her.  She never seems to run out of energy—thank the gods that Chiron is so patient.  When she’s not playing with her dolls or her blocks, she’s running around some place, usually causing trouble.  She loves to be outside and making a mess of her clothes—which, by the way, she loves.  She has quite the obsession with pretty dresses.  Unfortunately, she also has a tendency to ruin them after only a few wears, so she goes through dresses fairly quickly.  It doesn’t help that she keeps getting taller.”

“Hazel loves her dresses, as well,” Nico said with a chuckle.  “Not to the point of an obsession, but she is revolted by the idea of ever wearing breeches.  I have been trying to convince her that they are much more practical for fencing, but she will not listen.”

“That’s right, you were helping her learn to fence,” Will said, lowering his voice as the lights dimmed.  “Lee and Michael both enjoy archery and they have been pleading for Chiron to let them teach Kayla, but he hasn’t allowed it.  Kayla has shown a great deal of interest in the sport, but...well.  We are hesitant to give her sharp objects.”

“Understandable,” Nico replied in a whisper.  The crowd was growing quieter, but the orchestra was still playing the overture.  “Sometimes I worry Hazel is a little bit too happy to strike the training dummy—or me, when we spar.  I keep telling her she isn’t meant to stab, but she hasn’t listened.”

“I admit I know little about the sport, but I thought you were supposed to stab?” Will said, cocking his head to the side in a rather adorable display of confusion.  Nico wanted to kiss the subtle pout off his face.

“Well, yes, in the Juvian school of fencing,” Nico said, ignoring the voices in his head screaming for him to just grab Will and kiss him.  “The Plutonian school is different.  Hazel would probably prefer the Juvian school.”

“And which would you prefer, Your Highness?”

Nico thought for a moment.  Ordinarily, he would have immediately declared that the Juvian school was barbaric, but when Will asked, he was forced to admit that he had a great deal of respect for the style.  “I cannot say,” Nico eventually replied.  “I am comfortable with the Pluton school, but I don’t deny that the Juvian school intrigues me, as well.  But I think the show is about to start; we will talk more at intermission.”

Will agreed and turned to the stage, which offered Nico an opportunity to admire Will’s profile.  He stopped as soon as he realized he was doing it and turned to watch the performance. _Rheae Fidelium_ —which was old Pluton for “Rhea the Faithful”—was a well-known opera about Rhea’s role in the war between the Titans and the Protogenoi.  It was not an uncommon topic; the war was a frequent subject in art and music, particularly Rhea’s role in it.  When the Protogenoi’s mutinous children rose up against them, Rhea was the only Titan who remained loyal.  The first act of the opera followed Rhea’s struggle with her conflicting allegiances to her parents and her husband.  It ended with the downfall of Ouranos solidifying her resolution to return to Gaea’s side.

Nico felt disappointed when the entr’acte began at intermission.  He had been too focused on the opera to get Will to kiss him.  The lights were raised between the acts, which made the atmosphere much less suitable for kissing.

Will, however, seemed delighted.  He asked Nico what he thought of the opera, then babbled about how much he loved it before leaning back in his seat, smiling, and saying something that shocked Nico.  “This opera house is where my father met my mother.”

Nico tried not to show his surprise.  “Your mother?”

“My birth mother,” Will clarified.  “Not my stepmother.  Daphne met my father at an arranged meeting, of course.”

“I see,” Nico said as he tried to organize his thoughts.  He was not sure how to respond; he did not mind that Will was natural-born, but usually such things were not mentioned in polite conversation.

“How did they meet?” Nico asked, pushing aside his astonishment.  Will was sharing a private story with him and Nico was honored to hear it.

“She was a singer,” Will said.  “My father always told me that he fell for her the instant he heard her voice.  After the performance, he asked to see her and they spent the rest of the day together around the park.  He went back to listen to her sing every day.”

“Was Daphne there?” Nico asked before he could restrain himself.

Will gave Nico a bashful smile.  “I was too nervous to ask,” he admitted.  “I’m not sure that either of them are willing to offer that information.”

“I did not mean to intrude—” Nico started.

“Not at all,” Will replied.  “I have no secrets from you, Your Highness.  Anything you wish to know, ask.”

Nico chewed the inside of his lip in thought for a brief moment, and then, before he could change his mind, he asked, “How did your stepmother react to your birth?”

“I don’t know what my father and stepmother’s relationship was like at the time,” Will admitted.  “I was my father’s first illegitimate child; I don’t know if she reacted differently to my birth than she did to Austin’s, but she accepted Austin into the family without question.”

“And what is her relationship with your father like now?” Nico asked, because he had been a bit confused the day before when Apollo was seated next to both his wife and his lover at dinner.  “I mean—you don’t have to answer that.”

“I don’t mind,” Will said.  “I am what I am, Your Highness, and there’s no point in being ashamed of that.”

“Of course, I didn’t mean to imply...I...I don’t mind.  That you’re natural-born.  It doesn’t matter to me—if you were worried, that is.”

Will’s smile was calm even though Nico’s hands were shaking.  “I didn’t think you would mind, but thank you for saying that.  As for my parents—my father and stepmother, that is—they don’t _hate_ each other, but they don’t particularly get along, either.  My father married her because he fell in love, my stepmother accepted because of his wealth and influence.  I think....” Will stopped and cleared his throat.  “I’ve never told anyone this, but I think my father is still a bit in love with my stepmother.  I’ve always thought that he seems a bit sad after they fight.  I think my stepmother cares for him, too, in a way.  If you pay attention, you’ll start to see that she always seems to be looking out for him.  They are good parents.  Even if things between them aren’t quite right, they will work together for the family.”

“And what about Hyacinthus?” Nico asked.

“My father has a history of lovers,” Will said with a chuckle.  “He falls in love easily, but he has been quite monogamous to Hyacinth lately—apart from a few brief affairs, but he and Hyacinth don’t mind that.  Although, Hyacinth’s relationship with the Earl of Favonius has been going on for a few years now.  My father is a bit insecure about it; I think he’s afraid of losing Hyacinth.  Hyacinth is special to him.”

“Hyacinthus has another lover?”

“It’s confusing, I know,” Will said.  “Such is my father’s life.”

“But what about your birth mother?  What happened to her?”

Will sighed and folded his hands over his lap, looking less at ease and more artificially composed.  “She left,” Will answered.  “After she gave birth to me, she stayed as my wet nurse for a short time, and then she left.”

Nico nodded solemnly.  His own birth mother had also been his wet nurse, then she was a governess for both Nico and Bianca.  He remembered her fondly, despite being ignorant of their relationship as kin.  Will had not been given even that much.

“My father always told me that he was absolutely in love with her, but she had dreams that were too big for her to stay in one place for long,” Will continued.  “He said that she saw I would be cared for and left to continue singing.”

“And do you know where she is now?” Nico asked.

“No,” Will answered.  “I am not even sure that she is alive.  My father said that she was in a traveling act for a time, then he lost track of her.  She has never contacted since.”

“Have you tried to find her?”

Will shook his head.  “No.  I’ve never felt a need to.  She gave birth to me, she fed me, and those were the only roles we were meant to play in each other’s lives.  Daphne is my mother.  There are plenty of other women in my life who play that role, as well.  Perhaps it is cold or ungrateful of me to say this, but I don’t think I need her.  I am quite happy with the family I have.”

Nico wished he felt so at peace.  He considered Persephone to be his mother as much as Lady Maria, of course, but he felt dirtied whenever he thought about his illegitimacy.

 _I will tell him after we are married,_ Nico thought.  The King and Queen Consort had asked him to swear not to tell anyone, even Hazel, at least until she was older.  “It is a family secret,” they’d told him.  Nico had broken that promise twice: with Hestia and with Reyna, and only after asking for permission.  Truthfully, Nico hadn’t needed to be sworn to secrecy; he was too terrified of rejection to tell anyone.  He’d only told Hestia and Reyna because he trusted them to not judge him or leave him.

Nico knew he could trust Will with that secret, yet he still felt afraid.  Will was natural-born; it wouldn’t matter to him, would it?  Nico decided that he would wait until after the wedding.  When Nico married, Will would become part of the Pluton royal family.  Then Nico could tell him.

And if it did disgust Will, by then it would be too late for him to leave Nico.

“My brother Austin receives letters from his mother,” Will suddenly said.  “It was almost the same story: our father heard her compositions and went to meet her, then instantly fell in love.  Like my birth mother, she had dreams that were too big to be contained by one city, so she left after ensuring Austin would be cared for.  But for some reason, she stayed in contact even though my mother did not.”

When Nico turned to look at him, Will’s head was tilted to the side and he was frowning like he was trying to solve a difficult problem.  Impulsively, Nico reached out and put his hand on top of Will’s.  Will glanced at their hands in surprise, but he didn’t make any move to pull away.

“I don’t mean to complain,” Will said, offering Nico a smile.  “But I do admit, as a child, it was...confusing when Austin received letters but I did not.  But perhaps my mother was unable to.  Perhaps she is not even alive.  Perhaps we were simply not meant to have a relationship.  Whatever the case, I’m happy with my family.  I feel very blessed to have them.”

“I imagine that you must have questions,” Nico said slowly, struggling to find the right words.  “You were not left with many answers.”

“One thing that I have learned as a student in Venadica is that some questions will not be answered in my lifetime, others will never be answered, and still more should remain unanswered, at least until we are ready for the consequences that come along with that knowledge.  This is something I must simply accept.”

Nico looked down and saw that his hand was still on top of Will’s.  He had no desire to move it.

“Well, I...I think that she’s certainly made a poor choice, if she is alive.  She should know what a fine young man you’ve grown into.  I’d imagine everyone’s life could be a bit better with you in it.”

Will didn’t say anything, but when Nico looked up, Will was staring at him with a gaze so intense that it held him captive.  He looked handsome.  With the freckles splashed across his cheeks, his untamable curls of blond, and the soft, subtle part of his lips, just glancing at him made Nico nervous and excited.  Then there was the tender look in Will’s eyes: a soft but passionate depth that made Nico feel like his heart was going to burst.

Will had no idea what effect he had on Nico; that much was obvious.  Nico had once assumed that Will knew exactly how charming he was, but as he had gotten to know Will by watching his behavior and carefully reading over his letters, he had begun to realize that Will was not only sincere, but also was tragically unaware of how hard he’d made Nico fall for him.  It was so frustrating to know that even when Will looked at him like that, it meant absolutely nothing.  Will wasn’t trying to send Nico a secret message and he wasn’t trying to entice Nico.  Will really was just _looking_ at him.  And yet, the things that simple look did to Nico....

He wanted to kiss Will.  Will was so close, just inches away.  Nico wanted to lift their joined hands and kiss Will’s fingers.  He could easily lean over and press his lips against Will’s cheek.  No one would be looking at their box.  It would be so easy, and it would feel so nice.

Nico suddenly recalled a thought he’d had when he’d first been introduced to Will in Divitia, before their betrothal had even been decided.  He’d thought that Will’s appearance was adequate, but nothing special, and had decided that was good; a terribly attractive suitor would have made him feel nervous and caused him to make a fool of himself.

How had he thought Will’s appearance was merely _adequate_ at the time?  Had Nico not looked hard enough?  Had Will changed as he’d grown over the last year?  Perhaps Nico had simply been blind to it until Will had woven into his heart and opened his eyes.

And yes: as Nico had predicted, having a terribly attractive suitor did indeed cause him to make a complete fool of himself.  He thought about Will every day, sometimes sitting alone and making up fantasies in his head for hours on end.  He’d embarrassed himself on more than one occasion by revealing his enthusiasm for one of Will’s newly arrived letters in front of an audience.  He blushed and stuttered when he was supposed to be calm and poised.  His mind was muddled by rosy clouds whenever he spoke to Will.  And then there was Nico’s obscene desire to touch—no, his _need_ to touch.  There was a persistent voice in Nico’s mind demanding constant physical contact, and even when there _was_ physical contact, it demanded more.   _Now touch him with both hands,_ it would say.   _Hold him more tightly.  Step closer. Touch his face. Touch his neck.  Kiss him._

Nico tried not to listen to that voice, but it was too compelling to resist at times.  He couldn’t take his hand away from where it rested upon Will’s.  Even when the next act of the opera began, Nico hadn’t bothered to move it.  His hands felt like they were sweating and shaking and he wanted to adjust his hold, but he was afraid that even the smallest movement would mean the end of that static touch.

He found himself unable to follow the opera over the commands in his head for more Will.  He could move a bit closer.  He could entangle his fingers with Will’s.  He could lean over and use Will’s shoulder as a pillow.  He could kiss Will.  Gods, he wanted to kiss Will—but Nico couldn’t do that, no.  That would be far too brazen for a prince.

Nico gave in to one of the least scandalous impulses and shifted his hand to link his fingers with Will’s.  It felt better that way.  Nico liked how their hands fit together.

He caught Will glancing at him and immediately looked away, not wanting Will to know exactly how much he’d been staring.  He embarrassed himself enough around Will as it was.  It would be nice to preserve at least some of his dignity.  If he suddenly kissed Will, he would seem horribly unrefined; he had to somehow manage to get Will to do it instead.  Will always behaved perfectly; why couldn’t Nico be more like that?

But there had been a few times that Will had breached the rules of etiquette.  The first had been at the beginning of their initial arranged marriage meeting, when Will had nudged Nico’s foot with his own.  Why hadn’t Will done anything like that again?  Why was it that the only touch Will ever initiated was when he offered his arm to escort Nico?  Had Will tired of him?

Nico squeezed Will’s hand without meaning to.  Will’s eyes, which had drifted to the performance again, snapped back to look at him.  Nico smiled before quickly looking away, too nervous to use it as an opportunity to get Will to kiss him.

Nico knew that his fears were groundless.  Will wouldn’t initiate touch because Nico was a prince, simple as that.  Any rare moments when Will had breached that social norm had been exceptions to Will’s usual gentlemanly behavior.  However, knowing that Will occasionally acted on impulse gave Nico hope.  Perhaps if Nico managed to catch Will off guard, Will would be so overcome with his desire to kiss Nico that he would just do it.

That was what Nico had been counting on the day before.  He’d said such nice things to Will, he’d complimented Will’s appearance, he’d even touched Will’s hand and arm far more than etiquette required.  He had even touched Will’s _ankle_ at dinner, futilely hoping that it would remind Will of the way he’d touched Nico’s at their first marriage consultation and then ignite such a passion in Will that he _had_ to kiss Nico.

All Nico’s hard work had been in vain; Will had not seemed to understand Nico’s intentions at all.  Perhaps if Nico pushed him a bit more, he would finally figure out what Nico wanted.  Of course, Nico would have to find a way to keep Reyna and Hedge distracted.

However, this was all based on the assumption that Will wanted to kiss him.  It was entirely possible that Will simply had no desire to do so, but Nico thought that was unlikely.  After all, Will’s family had quite clearly alluded to Will’s long-lasting admiration of Nico the evening before.  Nico simply hadn’t pushed Will hard enough yet.  If Nico kept trying, Will was bound to understand at some point, wasn’t he?

The opera ended before Nico managed to find the courage to do anything more than hold Will’s hand.  Perhaps it was a good thing; if Will liked the opera so much, Nico didn’t want to distract him from it.  Unfortunately, Nico had been quite distracted as a result of Will’s mere presence and had missed much of the second act.

“Would you like to rent a supper box?” Will asked once they managed to get back outside.  He’d enthused about the opera until they’d managed to get through the crowd and leave the opera house.

Nico hadn’t realized how hungry he was until Will asked, so he agreed.  There was a dining area a short distance away with a row of individual supper boxes available to rent as well as tables across the green.  Will made their orders and they were directed to a box where they sat to wait for their food.  The supper box wasn’t much different from a box in an opera house, except it was outside; it was large enough to serve a group and opened to look out at the gardens, but still private.  Nico spotted Reyna and Hedge standing an acceptable distance away, and noted with satisfaction that Reyna was still keeping Hedge under control.

“Tell me more about your two eldest siblings,” Nico said.  “You haven’t spoken about them yet.”

“Three eldest, if you’ll pardon me saying so,” Will corrected.  “I consider Lou Ellen my sibling as much as the rest of them.”

“Three eldest, then.  Tell me about them.”

“They are practically inseparable,” Will began.  “Lee and Lou Ellen first got to know each other through letters while the arrangements were discussed.  Closer to the wedding, Lou Ellen traveled here for a visit so they could meet in person for the first time.  They had become friends through their letters and quickly connected in person, as well.  Michael, though—he was less than welcoming to Lou Ellen.”

“Is that so?  But I thought they got along well?”

“They do now, but I think Michael was afraid of losing Lee.  They have always been so close.  Michael, I think, was a bit jealous that someone else was stealing our brother away from him.”

“How did they ever become friends?”

“Oh, it didn’t take long.  Lou Ellen has quite the sense of humor; Michael wasn’t able to hold out against her.  Now they’re quite the trio.  Lee and Lou Ellen are deliriously in love, Lee and Michael are as close as brothers can be, and Michael and Lou Ellen are practically a pair of criminals, given the trouble they cause together.” Will paused as a waiter arrived with their food.  Nico was surprised at how fast it had been, but Will explained that they only served foods that were made in advance and quickly prepared, such as bread and cold cuts.

Will continued to talk about his family while they ate and Nico listened, occasionally tossing a cold cut in Asterion’s direction and ignoring Reyna’s disappointed glares.  Will looked happy when Nico asked questions and took interest in what he was saying.  “You must love your family very much,” Nico commented.

Smiling broadly, Will said, “Yes, Your Highness.  I’m very fortunate to have them.”

Nico took a deep breath before saying, “I hope that you’ll find something like that in my family, as well.” Really, he hoped that alluding to their marriage would spur Will into declaring his boundless affections before sweeping Nico into a kiss.

“As do I.  I’m quite excited to be a part of your family, Your Highness.”

Caught completely off guard by the warm hearted answer, Nico blushed and stuttered a vague reply instead of thinking of a way to steer Will towards kissing him.  At the rate he was going, it might be less detrimental to Nico’s pride to _actually kiss Will_ rather than continue his blatant attempts to lure Will into doing it instead.  But Nico had committed himself to this particular course of action, and once he set his mind on something, he didn’t let go.  No, Will had to be the one to do the kissing.  Nico just had to figure out the right places to push to get Will to do it.

By the time they finished eating, the day was approaching dusk.  They were chatting and looking out at the gardens from their box when Nico noticed a hedge maze and started plotting again.

“The maze appears to be popular with couples,” Nico noted casually, having seen several pairs enter and exit.  He looked at Will out of the corner of his eye to gauge Will’s reaction.

Will flushed.  “It...um...yes.  It is.”

Nico waited a second longer, but when Will said nothing more, he tried to push harder.   _“We_ are a couple,” he said.  “Shall we go there?”

Will looked embarrassed.  “I...um...” he began hesitantly.  “Well, I...I don’t think that Hedge and Lady Reyna would approve of Your Highness going there alone with me.”

Nico hummed and looked at the maze in thought.  It seemed likely that they wouldn’t be the first pair to hide from chaperones in the maze.  If he and Will could manage to to escape from Reyna and Hedge, they could go in there, all alone, in the dark, where no one would see them.  And then, Nico would finally get Will to kiss him.

His decision made, Nico said, “I don’t see why they should be notified.  Let’s go there a bit later, after we find a moment to slip away.”

Will looked alarmed.  “Slip away?” he asked.

“Wouldn’t you like to go in the maze with me?” Nico asked, knowing fully well that the answer was yes.  Of course Will wanted to spend time with him; Will told him that often enough, didn’t he?

When Will nodded, Nico bent his head closer and lowered his voice.  “Good.  Then we’ll make an escape and run for the maze.”

“Now I only wonder who will have my head first,” Will sighed.  “Hedge or Lady Reyna?”

Nico clucked his tongue.  “There will be no decapitation,” he said with finality.  Strict as they were, Hedge and Reyna still obeyed Nico’s orders, and Nico would allow no maiming to Will’s body.  Nico preferred for Will’s rather attractive neck to be intact.  “You mentioned that there would be fireworks.  That will be a good time to lose them.  We’ll slip into the crowd and they won’t be able to find us in the dark.”

“I get the sense that this is a very bad idea,” Will said.

“Nonsense, it’s a brilliant idea.  I want to go to the maze with you.  It’ll be exciting, won’t it?”

“Well...exciting is one word for it.”

“Please, Will?  It would make me so happy.”

Will sighed and rubbed his temple.  “Alright, yes.  When everyone starts to gather for the fireworks.”

Nico was shocked when his plan worked.  He had been expecting for it to go wrong—most of his attempts to get close to Will ended in failure—but when the sun set, they managed to escape.  A crowd shuffled around as visitors tried to find a spot with a good view, but Nico grabbed Will’s arm and hurried to the maze.  Thankfully, Reyna’s maintenance of an acceptable distance away had allowed them to get separated in the crowd.  They didn’t lose Asterion, of course.  It was probably good that Asterion hadn’t ended up with Reyna and Hedge; they could have used Asterion to track Nico.  Although he hadn’t been trained to hunt, Nico _had_ trained him to do some basic tracking.  Unfortunately, Reyna had used that against him a few times in the past when Nico made the mistake of not bringing Asterion with him when he was hiding from his communication lessons.  Besides, Nico liked having Asterion around.

Although Nico was delighted, Will still seemed nervous when they entered the maze.  Nico even began to wonder if it had been a good idea after all; if Will was uncomfortable, he would never kiss Nico.  “Have you gone through this maze before?” Nico asked, hoping to lighten Will’s mood.

“A few times, Your Highness.  Austin and I got lost in here once when we were younger.  It wasn’t a pleasant experience, but I’ve gone through since then.”

Nico thought that it wouldn’t be so bad to get lost in the maze with Will.  He almost said that out loud, but he lost the courage.  “You will enjoy it this time,” he said instead.

“Of course I will; I always enjoy being with you.”

Nico almost tripped over a root in his surprise.  How did Will find the courage to talk like that?  Were Nico’s nerves just strange?

“Yes, also, for me, as well,” Nico said in an attempt to give some affectionate reply.  The sky was quickly getting dark, which only added to Nico’s excitement and put him more on edge.  “In fact, I think it wouldn’t be so bad to get lost,” he added, and then he suddenly didn’t know how to stop talking and kept rambling.  “In the maze.  With you.  And Asterion, of course, because Asterion is here and...but I mean, I would like to be with you here even if Asterion were not here.  That’s not to say that that I’m hoping to get lost, of course.  Just that it wouldn’t be such a bad stroke of luck, as a result of...uh...being with you.”

Nico finally managed to bite his tongue and stop himself from going further.  It was difficult to judge Will’s expression in the dark.  There was a beat of silence, and then Will said, “I...I agree.  It wouldn’t be so bad.”

They were saved from the awkward pause that followed by the sudden bang of fireworks, and then Asterion panicked and took off running.  “Asterion!” Nico called in surprise, cursing himself for forgetting that his dog didn’t like fireworks.  He ran in the direction Asterion had disappeared with Will following close behind.  They reached a divide in the path and Nico said, “I’ll go left.” Will voiced his agreement and they separated.

It didn’t take long for Nico to realize his mistake.  Getting lost in a maze with his fiancé?  Good.  Getting lost in a maze alone?  Bad.

He called out for Asterion loudly, feeling much better when he heard Will call for him, as well.  But it had been foolish of him to forget about Asterion’s sensitivity.  No dogs enjoyed fireworks and Asterion startled particularly easily.  Nico had been too focused on finding ways to get Will to kiss him to think about Asterion.

Nico tried to calm himself with assurances that Asterion would be alright.  He was smart enough to find his way back to Nico; Nico had trained him.  But the anxiety of being alone in the dark maze with no idea how to get out added to the stress of losing his dog was overwhelming.  He nearly crumpled helplessly on the ground, but his panic outweighed his hopelessness and kept him moving.  He had lost Asterion before.  He couldn’t lose Asterion again.

It wasn’t long before he heard Will’s voice again, this time calling for him instead of Asterion.  “Will?” Nico shouted back, and he had to repeat himself when his voice was drowned out by the fireworks.

Will’s voice replied, and Nico was able to pick out the words “I have him” over the noise.  He sighed in relief, reminding himself that his panic was pointless and that Asterion was safe.  He still sometimes had to reassure himself of that.

“I’m coming,” Nico called as he started walking in the direction of Will’s voice.  He struggled to remember exactly where he had turned in his hurry, but Will’s voice, always so gentle and calming, kept calling to him to remind him what direction to go.  He reached the divide they had parted at quickly and it appeared that Will hadn’t had to run far to catch Asterion.  Nico found Will sitting in the light of the fireworks with Asterion half on his lap, holding Asterion’s head against his chest and covering his ears.

“Praise the gods,” Nico said, deflating on the ground next to Will.  He reached out to pet Asterion, smiling when the dog’s droopy eyes turned to look at him.  “I forgot how much he hates fireworks.”

“We’ve got him now,” Will said comfortingly.  “He’ll be alright once he calms down.”

Sighing, Nico leaned back on his hands to watch the fireworks in the night sky.  Asterion would be safe in Will’s arms.  He could trust Will with Asterion.  He could probably trust Will with anything.

When Nico glanced over, he caught Will looking at him and offered a smile.  When Will smiled back, the fireworks illuminated the pretty lines of his face.  Nico found himself more interested in the way the light looked on Will than in the fireworks themselves and was so mesmerized that he just watched Will during the finale.  Will watched him, too.

“Will?” Nico whispered when the finale was over and the sky became dark and silent again.

“Yes, Your Highness?”

“I think we’re lost.”

Will’s laugh made Nico feel warm.  He couldn’t stop himself from laughing with him.

“Lady Reyna and Hedge are going to string me up by my ears and drag me behind the carriage on the way back,” Will sighed, but he sounded amused rather than panicked.

“No, _Hedge_ will string you up by your ears,” Nico corrected.  “Reyna will be too busy stringing me up by mine.”

“She’s really that strict?”

“Oh, undoubtedly,” Nico replied.  “But she likes me.  Sometimes I manage to win her over after I’ve been particularly troublesome.  This time, though...she is _not_ going to be pleased.”

Will laughed.  “Well, at least we are lost together.”

Nico saw Will’s silhouette releasing Asterion in the dark.  “Thank you for finding him,” Nico said.

“I simply happened to run in the right direction,” Will said.  He got to his feet and offered Nico his hand to help him up.  Nico considered kissing Will in thanks, but his pride demanded that the first kiss must be from Will.  “Shall we try to find our way out?”

Nico sighed, but agreed and took Will’s arm.  “Asterion likes you,” he said.  “You care for him very well.”

“I do my best, Your Highness.”

“You are going to be a very good husband,” Nico said automatically.  He could barely see Will in the dark, but Will was definitely looking at him and he appeared not to know what to say.  It occurred to Nico that although he said that quite often, he didn’t say it in front of Will.  “I think that I’m very fortunate,” he continued.

Will was quiet for a few seconds, long enough for Nico to worry he’d said something wrong.  But then he said, “I admire you, Your Highness.  I always have.  I suspect I always will.”

Nico could have melted on the spot.  He wanted to tell Will that he admired him, too, but he couldn’t form the right words to express it.  The feelings he had for Will overwhelmed him and he wasn’t quite sure what to do with them or how to convey them.  A part of Nico just wanted to hold Will tightly and never let go.

“I’m flattered,” Nico stammered.  He wanted to stop talking, but he couldn’t keep himself from rambling on.  “I...um...I like when you say things like that.  I’m glad you feel that way.  I mean, uh, I also think highly of you, and I’m very flattered and...uh...I feel glad that you’re...um...with me.  Engaged.”

Nico wanted to sink into the hedges and hide until his mortification passed.  He hated the way he couldn’t shut himself up when he got too excited or angry or nervous.  He always ended up embarrassing himself.

“I’m also glad,” Will said.  Nothing in his voice suggested that he thought Nico had said anything strange at all.  “When my aunt first approached me with the idea of courting you, I...well, I hadn’t bothered to hope for even a friendship with someone like you.” Will faltered for a second before saying, “I never forgot you.  When we were introduced as children, it was a special moment for me—of course, my brothers already told you that much.  So when I learned that I would meet you again...well, I was terrified when I met you again in Divitia last year.”

His embarrassment receding, Nico mentally celebrated.  He hadn’t gotten Will to kiss him yet, but he _had_ gotten Will to ramble about how much he liked him.

“I didn’t know,” Nico said once he was confident that he wouldn’t trip over his own tongue.  “You seemed so composed that I almost didn’t know what to think of you.  You were all politeness and kindness and proper etiquette.”

“I wanted to impress you,” Will replied.

“You did.”

“And do I still impress, Your Highness?”

Nico was surprised by how easily he smiled at Will and said, “Yes.  You do.”

Nico reaffirmed his grip on Will’s arm, fighting his desire to stand closer.  It was brazen enough that they were alone in the dark, far away and hidden from sight.  He should not behave so shamelessly.

Yet Nico’s hand slipped down Will’s arm and he laced his fingers with Will’s.  It was more intimate that way; not quite scandalous, but deviant enough that Reyna would have raised her eyebrow and given him a warning glance.

In the dark, Nico was just barely able to see Will looking at their joined hands in surprise.  The reaction made Nico second guess himself, so he asked, “Would you like to walk like this for a while?”

“I...yes, I would,” Will said.  Nico suspected he was blushing; it was regrettable that he wasn’t able to see it.  The maze was dark.  Only the moon and stars and the far away glow of gas lamps lit the path before them.  Nico and Will were alone, without a chaperone, late at night, and Nico had just initiated a rather intimate gesture.

So maybe it was a bit scandalous.

Nico wet his lips.  He did not find anything wrong with what he was doing; deviant, yes, and perhaps inappropriate, but not _wrong._ In fact, he liked it.  He enjoyed being so alone with Will, touching Will’s hand, and being hidden by the tall hedges and the cover of darkness.  It was scandalous, true, but that only gave Nico a small rush of excitement.  Reyna and Hedge would lecture him for running off without them, but it was well worth the chance to be alone with Will, away from prying eyes, the way married couples were allowed to be.  Nico could act however he wanted with Will, so long as Will did not mind.  He could kiss Will, if he wanted.

He did want.

It was a good time to do it; after all, no one would be there to witness it.  The kiss would be a secret between Will and Nico.  And it had to be soon; Asterion would be able to lead them out of the maze with his sense of smell and then Nico would lose the opportunity.  But how?  Even though Nico had been so obvious in his attempts to get Will to kiss him so far, he had been unsuccessful.  Will had just professed his long-lived admiration for Nico, and he _still_ hadn’t done it.

Perhaps Will required a more direct approach.  Nico could just _tell_ Will to kiss him.  It was embarrassing, but it could work as a desperate last resort.  That way, he could transfer the authority of the kissing to his fiancé without subjecting himself to committing such a scandalous act.

“You may kiss me,” Nico said before he could become too nervous to do so.  He tried very hard to keep his hands from shaking and to exude a sense of confidence.

There was a beat of silence, and then: “Your Highness?”

Nico’s confidence started to crumble immediately, but he attempted to maintain his composure.  He stopped walking and turned to look at Will.  He couldn’t see much more than the outline of his face.  “Uh—I mean, if you would like to.  Kiss me, that is.  You may do so.”

“Oh,” Will said.  “I.  Um, yes.  I would like to.  If you would like it, as well.”

Nico almost sighed in relief, but he did his best to keep his demeanor suitably indifferent.  “Well, you are permitted.”

He heard Will clear his throat.  “But...would you like me to...?”

Nico did his best to keep his frustration under control, but said, “I—Lord William, I would not have given you permission if I found the idea less than appealing.”

“So...you want me to?”

“Oh, for the love of Rhea!  I _order_ you to kiss me.”

“Right, of course.  Then, if you don’t mind, um....”

Will’s face came closer.  Nico tilted his chin up expectantly, then closed his eyes when he felt Will’s breath against his lips.   _Finally!_ screamed a voice in his head.  He had been waiting for _months_ with absolutely no progress, and now—at last—he was about to succeed.  But for a moment, Will merely stood there and Nico began to wonder if something had gone wrong.  Then the moment passed and Will closed the gap between them.

The kiss was quick.  Will pecked Nico’s lips and then drew back immediately, fixing his gaze on his shoes.  It felt nice, though.  Annoying, as well, because although Nico’s knowledge about kissing was lacking, he felt sure that Will hadn’t done it properly.  Even still, it was nice.  Will had kissed him shyly and bashfully and Nico thought that it was very like Will to kiss like that.  Even if it had been mildly annoying, Nico wouldn’t have liked it any other way.

“Was that alright?” Will asked.

“Yes,” Nico answered quickly, his voice coming out more squeaky than he expected.  “It was very nice.”

“I, um, also enjoyed it.”

Nico cleared his throat.  “Would you like to do it again?”

“Oh, uh, now?”

“If you would like.”

“And...would you like...?”

“Yes.”

“Right.  Then I’ll....” Will pressed his lips against Nico’s a second time.  It was still brief, lasting less than a second, but it made Nico happy, anyway.

“Another?” Nico asked impulsively.

“Now?”

“Now.  If you’d like.”

“Yes.”

And Will kissed him again.  That time, Nico stopped him from drawing back.

“Keep going,” Nico said, pulling Will closer.  “Don’t stop until you want to.”

Will cleared his throat.  “But...what if I want to never stop?”

“Well...perhaps I want you to never stop.”

“We have to stop at some point.”

“Yes.  At some point.”

And Will kissed him a fourth time, and then a fifth time, and then Nico kissed Will, and then he stopped counting.  To his relief, kissing wasn’t very difficult.  They were learning quickly.  It felt nice; not as dramatic as he had been hoping for, but not disappointing by any means.  The kisses were soft and gentle, just like Will, and Nico concluded that kisses were good that way, too.

Nico would have gladly spent the next several hours practicing with Will, but he knew that Reyna would find particularly brutal ways of punishing him if he made her wait that long.  He could have survived it, but he would not survive the mortification Hedge would put him through if he started lecturing Will again.  Reyna might not be forgiving enough to stop him.

“Perhaps another time when we are alone this way, we can do this again,” Nico suggested, leaning his forehead against Will’s.

“I would like that.”

Nico grinned when he heard the smile in Will’s voice.  “As would I.”

Reyna and Hedge were not pleased.  Nico didn’t particularly care.

It had taken them a while after that to find their way out, even with Asterion’s nose helping them.  Reyna and Hedge had apparently figured out where they had gone at some point, because they were waiting furiously at the exit.  Reyna, who would have usually saved Nico’s lecture for when they were without company, wasted no time scolding him in front of Will.  Nico ignored her.  Hedge tried to scold Will, but Reyna, apparently too angry to tolerate it, shut him up with the reminder that _she_ was the chaperone.  Hedge apparently found her very convincing.

Reyna didn’t stop lecturing him in the carriage, but Nico occupied himself with gazing at Will’s profile instead of listening to her, then he pretended to fall asleep on Will’s shoulder when she started to annoy him.  Eventually, he really did fall asleep on Will’s shoulder.  By the time they got back to Phoebus and Will gently woke him up, Reyna had finally stopped.

The Sun Palace was wide awake despite the late hour.  When the door was opened for them, they were greeted by complete chaos.  The floor of the entrance hall was coated with mud.  An entire herd of pigs—one of them ridden by Kayla—stampeded across the hall and down the corridor.  Apollo and Hyacinthus were arguing about something in a room close by and horrible screeches of a violin came from down the corridor.  Nico heard Chiron yelling at someone not to run indoors, and he found out whom when Michael and Lou Ellen raced through the hall after Kayla and the pigs.  “Don’t tell Lee!” they shouted in unison when they saw Will and Nico at the door.  Meanwhile, Daphne was leaning against the bannister of the staircase, sipping a glass of wine and watching the scene in amusement.  She offered them a wave, which Nico weakly returned.

“Don’t worry; this is normal,” Will sighed in resignation, then he navigated around the mud to escort Nico to his room.

The scene distracted Reyna’s rage for a little while, but as soon as they reached Nico’s room and were left alone inside, she and Hedge wasted no time resuming their lecture.

“Do you expect me to let this pass, Your Highness?” Reyna demanded when Nico suggested they leave to let him sleep.  “I have been lenient as of late, but this was too far.”

“Your Highness, you can’t sneak off like that,” Hedge said.  “I say this for your _safety.”_

Nico sighed.  “We were in _Delphi,_ Hedge.  What harm could possibly be done in Delphi?”

“Anything could go wrong anywhere, with anyone,” Hedge growled.

“Will wouldn’t hurt me—”

“I’m not talking about Lord Solace hurting you.  I’m saying that you were far away from us in some dark maze where anyone could have been hiding.”

“We didn’t even know where you were,” Reyna added.

“Don’t forget the reason I was assigned to you in the first place, Your Highness,” Hedge said.

Nico looked at his feet.  No, he hadn’t forgotten the attempt on his life that had caused Hades to give Nico his own personal guard unit.  He still had the occasional nightmare about it.

“I...I had Asterion with me,” Nico tried to reason.

“Asterion isn’t a fighter,” Reyna said.  “I don’t doubt that he’d do his best to protect you, but I fear that there’s not much more he’d be able to do than alert us.  The same goes for Lord William.”

“And we would’ve been too far away to help,” Hedge said.  “Pluto can’t lose you, Your Highness.  Please don’t be so reckless.”

Nico sighed.  “I understand,” he relented.  “I’ll do better in the future.”

“And you can’t sneak off alone with that _boy!”_ Hedge added aggressively.

“That was extremely inappropriate behavior,” Reyna said.  “I agree with Hedge this time.”

“Now you’re just being overbearing,” Nico sniffed.  “And anyway, Will and I had a wonderful time together.”

“That is precisely what we are afraid of, Your Highness,” Reyna said.

Nico lifted his chin smugly and grinned.  Reyna’s eyes narrowed.  “What did you do?” she asked.

“I kissed him,” Nico said proudly.

Reyna stared at him.  “You what?”

“I kissed Lord William,” Nico repeated.  “Or, more accurately, he kissed _me—”_

“He _what?”_ Hedge demanded.

“Because I gave him permission, of course—”

 _“You what?”_ they both said in unison.

“Oh, calm yourselves.  You were engaged once, Lady Reyna; didn’t you ever sneak off with your fiancé?  Actually, I’m better off not knowing.”

Reyna didn’t even react to Nico’s goading.  “Your Highness, be sensible.  You, an unwed young man of considerable standing, snuck away from us late at night, in an unfamiliar location, to spend time _alone_ with another unwed man, and now you tell me that he _kissed_ you during this time?”

Hedge punched his palm aggressively, like he was imagining beating Will to a pulp.  “I must speak with Lord Solace about this; that was grossly inappropriate behavior and—”

“I _asked_ him to kiss me,” Nico said with a roll of his eyes.  “He was the perfect gentleman.”

 _“You asked him to kiss you?”_ Reyna demanded.

“I really don’t see the problem, Lady Reyna,” Nico said with a frown.

“The problem, Your Highness, is that I have utterly failed as your chaperone!  There’s no telling what depths of trouble I’ll be in when we return to the Palatium de Divitae!”

“Well, why should anyone have to know?” Nico asked.

“Do you suggest we lie, Your Highness?” asked Hedge.

“I’m only suggesting you omit certain elements of the account.  No one saw.” Nico paused and fiddled nervously with the trim on his coat.  “And I’m happy, very happy,” he admitted.  “Please don’t tell.”

Reyna and Hedge exchanged a glance.  After a moment, they both sighed, apparently having come to an agreement.  “If it makes you so happy, then we will allow it to pass this time,” Reyna said.  “Do not expect me to continue to be so generous.  Please use more discretion in the future and take care not to let your courting schemes get in the way of your safety.”

“Of course,” Nico said, but he had no intention of doing so.  In fact, he was already plotting the next time he’d sneak Will away for a kiss or two.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Gasps for air dramatically- FINALLY! WE HAVE A KISS!  
> As for the next fic (THE PERCABETH WEDDING OMG), it’s going to take some time. I’ve gotten pretty far, but it still needs a lot more work before I’ll be ready to start posting. I promise it’ll be worth waiting for. There will be new characters! New ships! ~~And a higher rating!~~


End file.
